


Blood Under the Skin

by The_Zoni_Enthusiast



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: F/M, Mortal!Orvus, Organic!Orvus, Takes place after Into the Nexus, i think, not an AU tho, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24102742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Zoni_Enthusiast/pseuds/The_Zoni_Enthusiast
Summary: Ambassadors and leaders from the universe’s most resourceful and brutal races begin to go missing. Ratchet & Clank are called upon by Talwyn to work with the Polaris Defense Force to track down the missing people and protect other potential targets. But the connection tying the missing people together is more dangerous than they could ever imagine. The most awkward part? This situation is the closest thing Clank has to bonding time with his previously missing father, Orvus, who has gone through a severe lifestyle change, but wants to join the fight.
Relationships: Talwyn Apogee/Ratchet
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	1. I Believe

Metropolis Central District Elementary School. A bustling and active school where children from many species and planets came to follow the path of education. Math, science, writing, reading, the essentials they would need to grow as a person was offered here. Young kids scurried around the hallways from their lockers as the hour closed in for the next class, though while some attempted to be mindful of the classes currently in session, some of the children were...rather noisy. Still, the hall monitors rallied them into their classrooms and back with their teachers. Everything was in its place and lessons continued as normal.

One class in particular, however, was going to be treated to something that's usually a hit or miss with children: guest speakers. Class 87, Mrs. Sen's class, was preparing to shift into its next lesson. Outside of its door waiting in the hallway were two very special guests, one Mrs. Sen was sure the children would be excited to see. As the time for the guests' entrance grew closer, the clock struck 12:00pm and-

_RIIIIIIIIING!_

"GAH!"

A cry rang out in the hallway along with the bell. The person whom the cry belonged to slumped a bit, his large ears lowering as his fur stood up on end.

"It doesn't matter how many times I hear a bell like that, it's always going to make me jump," Ratchet said, displeased with his now increased heart rate. His tail flicked with irritation as he folded his arms and tapped his foot, staring at the door they would soon be entering.

"Lucky for you, we are not here for the bell, we are here for this class," Clank said, patiently waiting besides Ratchet, his optics brighter and greener as they ever were and his metal shiny and clean as always.

The Lombax let out a breath as he composed himself. He looked around the hallway, taking in the fact that he was in a school of all places right now. Mrs. Sen's message to them shouldn't have exactly been surprising to him, given his status amongst society, but he was somewhat amazed at how fast someone requested an audience with them. They had only been back in Solana for a few days. He glanced at Clank, "I still find it ironic, you know?"

"You find what ironic?"

"We finally manage to get time off from hero stuff. Packed up our stuff, came back to the Solana Galaxy, settled back on Veldin and all that. And yet we still managed to end up doing hero work...sort of."

"I hope that is not the attitude you are going to portray in front of the children," Clank said, looking at Ratchet with disapproval.

Ratchet waved off Clank's glare, "Don't worry. Even though I want us to be enjoying our time off, I'll gladly take this kind of hero work over saving the galaxy any day."

Clank seemed somewhat satisfied with Ratchet's response and went back to waiting patiently for Mrs. Sen to come and get them.

After a few minutes, they were alerted by the sound of the door opening. Ratchet stood up straight and gave a small smile and wave to the young Fongoid lady who stepped out. Ever since the ordeal with Nefarious, some Fongoids decided to stop hiding on their home planets and make something of themselves on other planets. Mrs. Sen, of course, pursued a career in teaching.

"Hey, Mrs. Sen. Is that our cue?" Ratchet said.

"Yes, come on in, you two," she said, holding the door open for the two.

After Clank scampered through the doorway after Ratchet and Mrs. Sen quietly closed the door behind them. Gasps echoed through the room as the bright-eyed children laid eyes on who had come in. Several of them whispered among each other, one of which seemed to say 'maybe those won't suck after all'. Mrs. Sen, while she didn't know who said it, sent a glare that quieted them all down.

She cleared her throat and introduced their special guests, "Class, I want you to meet Ratchet and Clank. They will be speaking to you today about what it takes to be a hero and the importance of safety within said work. I want you all on your best behavior. No interrupting, remember to raise your hand, and no paper airplanes. I'm looking at you, Johnathon."

A young Kerchu in the back slumped in disappointment as he crumpled up in an in-progress paper airplane. Along with the six he had already made.

"Alright boys, the spotlight is on you now," Mrs. Sen said to the duo, returning to her desk nearby.

Ratchet took a mental deep breath as he adjusted his harness. Even if these were kids, he somewhat hated speaking in front of crowds. Clank was looking up at him with a quizzical face, but Ratchet gave him the face that said that he had this. The Lombax smiled and offered a friendly greeting, "Hey, kids! As your teacher said, I'm Ratchet and this is Clank. Of course, I'm sure some of you have heard of us before, as we've saved the Solana Galaxy many times. Right, pal?"

"Correct. We stopped Chairman Drek from destroying planets, halted the wild Protopet infestation, and-"

"And stopped Dr. Nefarious from turning everyone into robots by battling a giant robot Bio-bliteranator!" A young Markazian blurted out excitedly. But he shrank once he saw the look Mrs. Sen was giving him. "Eh, sorry."

"While your answer was abrupt, it is correct," the robot continued. "However, while the results of our efforts were indeed incredible, the process of getting those results is something to be taken very seriously. Care to explain, Ratchet? Perhaps use the Biobliterator as an example?"

"Well, first of all...it was a battlefield that had bullets flying all around. Giant robot commandos were swarming us left and right. We chased Nefarious down after shutting down the main terminal, the Galactic Rangers were backing us up as we charged through and cornered Nefarious, that's when I pulled out my Flux Rifle and-" Ratchet's exciting story was cutoff by Clank elbowing his leg. The children giggled as Ratchet looked sheepishly down at the heavily disapproving robot.

"Are you sure that is _all_ that went into the process of defeating Nefarious?" Clank asked with a tense voice, Ratchet picking up on the tone immediately and sighing.

"And, most importantly, we went in with a well-thought-out plan that had everyone's safety as the top priority and we made sure to execute the plan with as little damage, injuries, and casualties as possible. Because safety is the most important thing for hero work," he said flatly.

"Very well said, Ratchet," Mrs. Sen said, almost laughing at the comedic tension between the duo. She then addressed her class, "Now you know that while hero work is epic and amazing, safety is just as important as it always is. Even heroes need to follow safety precautions."

"Mine is called Clank," Ratchet said softly with a snort.

"And mine is called the three times Ratchet crashed a ship," Clank retorted with a smug smile.

"Anyway," Mrs. Sen interrupted to break the two up. "Does anyone have any questions for Ratchet and Clank?"

Several eager hands shot up, Ratchet was almost overwhelmed. Since he could see the class better due to the height difference, the two agreed that Ratchet would call the shots when it came to calling hands. He first called on a young Cazar child.

"How come you don't get hurt when you're exploding a bunch of things?" She asked.

"Oh, that's simple. I always make sure to be wearing armor whenever I enter combat. It keeps me _and_ my fur safe," Ratchet answered.

"And my metal alloy body protects me," Clank added.

More hands went up and another young Markazian was called.

"What's your favorite weapon to use?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, if I had to pick...while I am a fan of the RYNO, you can never go wrong with a good ol' fashioned Omniwrench," the Lombax said with a smile. "And Clank likes to use his fists."

"Clank-fu," the robot corrected.

"Yeah, that."

More hands. There seemed to be even more than last time. The children must have been getting excited. Ratchet called on an awkward-looking Argorian in the corner.

"Um...er...where do babies come from?" He said, sounding as clueless yet brutish as the rest of his species.

Ratchet's ears drooped as he stammered. "Uhhh...well... _ask your teacher."_

Everyone looked at Mrs. Sen, who looked just as frazzled as Ratchet. "Uhhh...well... _ask your parents."_

"Next question, please!" Clank announced hurriedly.

Ratchet picked another hand as soon as possible to move on from that awkward scenario. He picked a child who looked to be the same species as the Smuggler. Just not as shady looking as him.

The child cleared his throat and asked, "What are your parents like? Are they heroes, too?"

Ratchet's ears dipped a bit as he was put off by this sudden question. Clank seemed hesitant as well, looking up his friend with concern. Kaden was something that Ratchet never seemed to want to talk about. And his mother...he didn't know anything about her. The Lombax attempted to find the right words, trying to formulate something. The struggle started to be apparent on his face and the children looked confused.

As Ratchet tried to say something, Clank stepped forward and decided to take this into his own hands for the sake of his friend. "Ratchet's parents were very good people. His father was a valued member of the Lombax society and his mother was a caring woman. If they were here today, they would be very proud of their heroic son."

Ratchet felt like he was able to breathe again. Leave it to Clank to save him in a situation like this. It's not that he didn't want to tell the kids about Kaden, he just didn't know how to address his deceased father so casually. Clank looked up at him, and Ratchet gave him a look that said nothing but 'thank you'. The robot nodded. But his attention was taken by one of the students.

The child who had asked the troubling question now had a new question, this time for Clank. "So...what about you? Do you have heroic parents?"

Ratchet and Clank had the same shocked look on their face. It made sense to ask about Ratchet's parents, but Clank's? Though they did not know what to expect, not all children their age would know that most robots come from factories, not biological parents.

"Of course he doesn't! Robots don't have parents!" The Kerchu referred to earlier as Johnathon said.

Well, at least some of them knew. But it was still wrong in Clank's case. And the Kerchu saying that Clank had no parents seemed to rub him the wrong as, as he stepped forward and announced himself, "If I may interrupt, I will confirm that I do indeed have parents. While my mother is a computer, my father is...different than a typical robot's, I shall say that."

"Really? Where is he? Can we meet him?" Another child asked, looking eager. It seemed earlier that the children had picked up on the fact that Ratchet's parents were deceased, but they looked to believe the opposite for Orvus.

"Er, well, no...unfortunately," Clank said quietly.

A wave of 'awww' swept across the room as the kids sat in disappointment. But Johnathon wasn't satisfied with Clank's answer.

"So we can't meet him because he's busy or we can't meet him because he's dead?"

"Johnathon!" Mrs. Sen snapped.

The robot seemed shook by this conversation, as he felt things that he hadn't felt in years. For once, he didn't know what to say. There were many conflicting feelings going through his processor. He tried to come up with an explanation that would satisfy him more than it would satisfy the children. "He...my father, he...a few years ago…"

Clank stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ratchet was kneeling next to him, offering his support by giving as little details as he could to the kids, "Clank's father, overall, is a great person who did great things for the universe. That's what matters. Right?"

"R...Right," Clank said with a nod.

_RIIIIIIIIING!_

The school bell rang (making Ratchet jump) and Mrs. Sen stood up from her desk and walked over to the duo, "Alright, well, that's all the time we have. Thank you, Ratchet and Clank, for coming in and speaking with us. Kids, go on out to recess. For homework I want you to write a thank you letter to our speakers, and tell them one thing that you learned."

The group of now rowdy kids said bye to the duo as they ran outside to the playground. Once the last child left, Mrs. Sen thanked the two again and hurriedly went outside to supervise (Johnathon was already selling his paper airplanes for five bolts a pop). She wanted to address the difficult questions the students asked, but she knew that they would most likely address it themselves to each other.

Ratchet and Clank stood there, looking frazzled. After a moment of silence, Ratchet let out a great breath and mumbled, "I need some lunch."

**_Dan J.'s Bar and Grill - Metropolis Central Square_ **

' _This is Solana News, with your anchor, Kip Darling'_

_"Hello Solana Galaxy, I'm Kip Darling reporting in for the evening news. Our top story is a concerning case of repetition as we received reports from the Polaris Galaxy of yet another person gone missing. Grubb Diggery, a higher-up Kerchu known for protecting a fabled Lombax artifact on Planet Jasindu, has been missing for the past three days. Diggery's disappearance makes the missing person total come to an alarming six, none of which have left a trace of where they have ended up. Talwyn Apogee of the Polaris Defense Force shared minimal details of the investigation, but ensures the public that they are doing everything they can to track down the missing people. Coming up: the president of the Bogon Galaxy to outlaw pineapple on pizza-"_

The news report was cut short by the owner of the restaurant flipping the channel to a sports game after some complaining from the select few of the customers who were getting a little too into Happy Hour.

Ratchet and Clank were seated by a large window that showed the everyday rush of Metropolis. They hadn't necessarily been watching the news, but they were within earshot of the television. Upon hearing the abrupt report, Ratchet put his burger down and wiped his mouth, a flash of concern passing his face.

"Another person gone missing, huh? Poor Talwyn must have her hands full right now. I kind of wish she would just call us so we could go over there and help. Not that I'm saying that she can't handle this, but, you know...six people," he said, putting his napkin down and tossing it to the side of his plate.

"She is most likely supporting our decision to take time off here in the Solana Galaxy," Clank stated matter-of-factly, picking up a metal cherry tomato on his fork, only to let it roll around on the prongs.

"I'm sure she is, but...I-I dunno. Maybe I'll give her a call later…" Ratchet rested his cheek on his fist, picking at the stray fries on his plate. His eyes shifted upwards to look at Clank, who was continuing to simply watch the metal tomato sit on his fork. Ratchet raised a brow. He sat up a bit straighter and let out a breath, which could practically fog up against the tense air between them. After taking a sip of his soda and clearing his throat, he tried to address the elephant in the room they were trying to ignore. "So, uh...those kids. They sure did ask some... _interesting_ questions, huh?"

"That is one way to put it," Clank dismissed, finally letting the tomato fall back down to his salad.

The Lombax shifted slightly and sighed. Clank may not be the best in social situations, but he wasn't stupid. Especially when it came to Ratchet's conversational approaches. Ratchet shook off the casualness of it and addressed it the way he needed to. "Listen, pal, I know that the topic of your father is kind of...touchy. Especially in the situation that those kids accidentally put you in. But you shouldn't let it get to you."

After a few moments of silence, Ratchet believed that he got through to Clank. Then Clank spoke up. "Ratchet?"

"What?"

"What do you believe happened to my father?"

The Lombax was very put off by that question. What did he believe happened? He saw what happened, and Clank knew that. Still, he answered the question. "Well, you know that I was there when it happened. Sort of. When I went back in time, I saw Orvus disappear after Nefarious interrogated him. And after that, he was just...gone."

"You believe that he is gone for good?"

Ratchet shrugged. "I can't deny what my own eyes saw, pal."

"Hmm…" Clank hummed in thought for a moment. Ratchet leaned forward a bit, wondering where exactly Clank was taking this. The robot shook his head and looked up with sad but oddly hopeful eyes. "That is not what I believe."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I believe that my father is alive. I do not have a logical explanation of why or how, but I believe that he is out there somewhere," the robot aid with a surprising amount of confidence.

Ratchet, however, wasn't sure about this."I'm not saying that I don't support your belief or anything, but isn't it kind of bad to lead yourself on possible false hope?"

"Of course. It is foolish of me to think that Orvus is still alive given all the evidence that he is deceased. But something in my circuitry is leading me to believe that he survived Nefarious' attack and is still alive to this day. I believe it is what organics call a 'gut feeling'."

Ratchet shrugged. After all the gut feeling he's gone through that turned out to be true, he couldn't bring himself to disagree with Clank. On the outside at least, internally, Ratchet thought that Orvus was gone for sure. But...crazier things have happened. He knew that for sure.

The Lombax finished his meal and he stood up and pushed in his chair, Clank soon following his lead. As the two walked out of the restaurant, Ratchet put his hands in his pockets and addressed Clank's belief. "Well, pal, if that's what you believe, then who am I to shut you down? But if you think Orvus is alive, what exactly are you going to do about it?"

Clank hummed in thought, "That is a questionable process. For now, all I have is believing."

The Lombax nodded, the smallest hint of sadness in his voice, "Sometimes that's all you can do."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Haha! I should've gotten this done ages ago! Haha...ahah...ehhhh...I spend like half my life procrastinating.**

**Also, quick timeline disclaimer: this is after the events of Into the Nexus. Just wanted to say that to clear up any possible confusion.**

**So here's my newest project! I've been planning this for about...two months now? But I only have so much time between work and...yeah, work. Plus the outlining, character creation, character designs, ugh it's been a lengthy process and I'm glad I managed to get the first chapter out.**

**Now that you've finished reading this, go wash your hands and drink some water. Stay healthy and hydrated, everyone. Times are hard for us all, so let's do our best to look out for one another.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	2. Clank's Secret

Aphelion touched down on the sandy surface of Veldin. The sunset was barely peeking over the horizon as nighttime was nearly in full force.

Ratchet and Clank exited the ship and entered the large garage, their Solana home. They could easily get any apartment they want in Metropolis, but the quiet Veldin felt more like home than any other planet in the universe. Plus they both had extreme nostalgia for it.

Ratchet entered the kitchen and sat down at the table and pulled his communicator out of his pocket. He lazily tapped on it a few times before he frowned. When he heard Clank’s footsteps approaching, he put the device face down on the table.

Clank trotted over and looked up at his friend. “I am going upstairs to my charging port to shut down for the night. Will you be going to bed soon?”

“Alright, have a nice sleep, or recharge rather. And, yeah, I’ll be up there soon, I just need to do something real quick,” Ratchet replied, keeping a hand on his communicator.

The robot turned around and took a step towards the staircase, but paused. He looked over his shoulder back at Ratchet again. “Do not feel bad if she does not answer, Ratchet. Ms. Apogee is very busy right now.”

“I know, I know, I just…” Ratchet sighed as his ears drooped. “I just want to at least try talking to her. She could probably use someone to vent to after all that’s going on over there.”

“Very well. Goodnight, Ratchet.”

“G’night, pal.”

Ratchet gave Clank a small wave and turned back towards the communicator. His ears twitched as he listened to Clank’s footsteps go away from him and up the stairs. The moment he no longer heard the noise, he picked up the communicator and went into his contacts, scrolling down to the contact that read “Tal”. He took a deep breath and built up confidence, eventually pressing down and initiating a call. He held the speaker up to his ear and listened to the tone. One tone...two tones...three tones…?

_‘Hello, this is Talwyn Apogee of the Polaris Defense Force. I am currently unavailable right now, but I will get to you as soon as I can. If you have a message, please record it when you hear the beep.’_

_Beep!_

Ratchet restrained himself from letting out a groan. The last thing he needed was for something like that to be recorded and sent to Talwyn. Still, he called her, the least he could do was leave a message. At least something that would help get his thoughts out to her in a way.

“Hey Tal, it’s Ratchet. I know that you’re probably really busy with all the...events going on over in the Polaris Galaxy. But I just wanted to call and see how you’re holding up. We keep hearing the reports on the news, no doubt you’re probably a little overwhelmed by it all. I know I’ve felt that feeling before. It sucks knowing what you’re going through. But, um...you know, Clank and I are happy to be home and relaxing and all, but…” Ratchet looked back at the stairs, seeing no sign of Clank. He lowered his voice ever so slightly and continued his message. “If you ever need help with what’s going on, you can always contact us. I know that you were the most supportive of us going back to Solana to rest, but what you and the Defense Force are dealing with-all those missing people-it’s more important than a vacation. So if you need our help, we’ll be there as fast as we can. Anyway, I guess I’ll cut this short so it doesn’t get too long. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

Ratchet pressed the button to hang up and put the communicator down. It was then that he groaned followed by putting his forehead on the table. So much for not getting disappointed. The Lombax huffed.

“I need to go to bed.”

After pulling himself off the table and drinking a hardy cup of water, Ratchet dragged himself upstairs to the higher platform that he and Clank reformed into a bedroom a long time ago. He treaded lightly as he passed by a small table with a deactivated Clank folded upon it, the robot’s antenna blinking as he recharged. 

Ratchet plopped himself down on the mattress adorning a messy orange comforter. Clank had told him to make his bed and he agreed. That was about a year ago. But Ratchet’s untidy tendencies didn’t stop Clank from sneakily cleaning the comforter and sheets every once in a while. While it somewhat annoyed Ratchet, it was still a nice gesture that he was always grateful for.

The Lombax yawned and prepared to sleep, removing his shirt and tossing it onto a pile of dirty laundry. He changed into a pair of black pajama pants, which smelled like they were freshly clean. Clank’s work, no doubt. Ratchet then crawled under the blanket and put his head on the pillow, ready to put this entire day behind them. Though he was sure Clank was more eager to forget about it more than him. Maybe he would do something else with his friend tomorrow, something that didn’t involve bringing up the memory of a deceased father. That shouldn’t be too hard. 

Ratchet then frowned and glanced at Clank, who was still recharging peacefully. There was one aspect of Orvus that he didn’t bring up, because he didn’t want to talk about it too much. He didn’t forget about his screw-up when he went back in time. It was his mission to save Orvus and he failed. Ratchet couldn’t help but take partial blame in Orvus not being around. If only he hadn’t waited so long to attack Nefarious. To this day, he still felt horrible about it, even if Clank forgave him. 

Consciousness started to slip away as Ratchet’s mind dwindled on these thoughts. It had been a rough day. He decided to pull himself out of those thoughts and just sleep them off, burying the shame he felt deep down when he woke up. In the morning, both he and Clank would have moved on. 

**_Several hours later…_ **

_“So...what about you? Do you have heroic parents?”_

_“Of course he doesn’t! Robots don’t have parents!”_

_“Where is he? Can we meet him?”_

_“So we can’t meet him because he’s busy or we can’t meet him because he’s dead?”_

_“I saw Orvus disappear after Nefarious interrogated him. And after that, he was just...gone.”_

_“But if you think Orvus is alive,_ **_what exactly are you going to do about it?”_ **

These words were what stuck out to Clank the most as he processed and saved the events of the day to his memory banks. He played them back multiple times, remembering what he felt in the moment. The sadness, the regret, the shame, all raw emotions that he foolishly let leak out from his metal exterior. How he did not fry anything with the overwhelming amount he managed to keep in was beyond his belief. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy talking about his father. Honestly, sitting down and having a pleasant conversation about Orvus with someone like Ratchet or even Sigmund was a very enjoyable experience. It was only the topic of Orvus missing and the possibility of him being gone forever that bothered him so much. Clank was so excited to meet his father in person after interacting with the program in his subconscious. It crushed him when he found out the secret Sigmund had been keeping from him: Orvus had been gone for years. It had led Clank to a point of desperation, so much so that he actually begged Ratchet to go back in time and confront Nefarious, who had Orvus prisoner. But in the end, it didn’t work out. And to this day, Orvus was still nowhere to be found. That is something Clank wanted to change. 

However, no matter how much he believed Orvus was still out there, the evidence would always be stacked against him. Disappeared at the hands of a villain, gone for years without a trace, Orvus’ case had a very clear sign of being deceased. And even if Orvus was somehow miraculously alive, how was Clank going to prove it? How was he going to find his most likely dead father?

He knew exactly how. 

The bulb on Clank’s antenna went from blinking to a solid red color as he reactivated himself. His eyes remained shut as his audio sensors came back online and began processing any noise in the room. Just as Clank hoped, the only sound was Ratchet’s snoring, indicating that the Lombax was deep asleep. He opened one optic to survey the room. Sure enough, Ratchet was sprawled out awkwardly on his bed, snoring and slightly drooling. Clank knew it was now the perfect opportunity, but not before taking care of one small detail.

Extending his arms out, Clank reached into his chest compartment and pulled out two things: a banana and a hologuise. On paper, these two would seem like they have nothing to do with each other: but all it took was a little smart thinking and cleverness to make it Clank’s failsafe. After scanning himself with the hologuise, he latched it onto the banana and set it right where he was just resting. After a moment, the hologuise took the form of the banana and turned it into a holographic projection of a resting Clank. The little robot couldn’t help but take a little pride in this idea, as it had yet to fail him. Now that the decoy set up, it was time for the second part of his sneaking routine. 

As carefully and quietly as he possibly could, Clank dropped down from the table and landed on the floor. He then stepped as lightly as his body would let him so he could silence his appropriately clanking footsteps. As he crept towards the stairs, he kept his eyes on Ratchet at all times. The moment that Lombax moved, he would either freeze or quietly rush back to the table. Luckily for him, it seemed like Ratchet was in too good of sleep, but he still tried his best to be careful and stay silent. When he reached the stairs, he stopped and reached into his compartment again. This time he pulled out a big cloth. Truth was, it was going to be impossible for him to go down the stairs without making a good amount of noise, so he would have to skip the stairs entirely. He did this by throwing one end of the cloth over the stair’s hand railing, grabbing it, then pushing off to slide the entire way down. Not only was it quiet, but also rather fun.

While his landing wasn’t very silent, making another appropriate clank sound as his feet hit the floor, he was too far down for it to risk bothering Ratchet. He was in the clear. After putting his zip-lining cloth away, Clank turned his optics on to a brighter setting so he could see a bit better. A path of green led him behind the staircase into a realm of dust, boxes, and tarps, also known as the back of the garage. The majority of the back was used as storage. As people who worked a ship-repairing side business, Ratchet and Clank had a lot of extra laying around. Ship parts, tools, old weapons, most of this stuff was stored in the pack for future use. But the area Clank was heading towards was a place Ratchet liked to refer to as “the junk pile”. Crates of rusted scrap metals, broken tools and weapons, and overall garbage that they planned to sell to a scrapyard one day, but were too busy to actually do so. Because of the unimportance of the junkpile, it made the perfect place for something Clank had been keeping under wraps. 

Clank arrived at the junk pile, seeing the dust covering the tarp that protected the crates full of worthless scrap. He located a small gap between two of the crates with the entrance covered in the dusty tarp. The robot, taking advantage of his small size, went under the tarp and easily made his way through the gap, following a short path that led to a decently sized opening. Clank looked around until he located a small box with a switch on it. Picking it up and hitting the switch, the small area lit up with strings of white lights that Clank had borrowed from the Christmas decorations. And while the lights were very nice to look at, the main attraction was in the middle of the area. The lights shined and lit up a complex contraption that had led to victories, failure, and danger: the Dimensionator. 

“Hello, old friend,” Clank muttered, walking up to the device and studying it. “Let us see if we can make progress today.”

This was Clank’s failsafe. When the Prog twins were defeated and the Dimensionator broke once again, Ratchet had announced that he was happier staying where he was over going out of his way to find the Lombaxes. And while Ratchet lost interest in the Dimensionator, Clank found himself taking great interest in it. So much so that he had taken it, storing it within himself and bringing it back to Veldin, all without Ratchet knowing. He honestly didn’t know how Ratchet would react if he saw the contraption here, so Clank had kept his miniature heist to himself. Stealing something that wasn’t his wasn’t something Clank would normally do, but this was a time where he couldn’t help himself. The truth was, in that moment where the Dimensionator was laying there, ready to be abandoned, Clank saw potential. A potential he had spoken of today. He honestly believed that the Dimensionator was the key to finding Orvus, as it’s a device that could open a portal to anything, or anyone, in the universe. It was exactly what he needed. Now came the challenge of repairing it.

Clank ran a quick diagnostic scan on the Dimensionator, re-analyzing what it still needed in order to function. He had fixed some parts here and there. New wiring, some new plating in the back, replaced connector coils, and some inner workings that just needed replacing or tune-ups. He had been working on this ever since they had returned to Solana, plus some overnight work when they were back in Polaris. While he had made some good progress, there were still components that he was having trouble with. 

The list of troubles came up as the scan was completed. Clank read the results. The energy core was dead, the quantum tunneling program was scrambled, and there was an entire crucial component missing that he had yet to identify. While he would most likely have the least amount of trouble with the programming, the energy core and missing component were very difficult roadblocks. The Dimensionator is a dimensional tunneling device, a process that takes an incredible amount of energy to do. With an empty energy core, there isn’t a chance that the device could even be turned on. And the missing part was simply that, a missing part. It could be hard to deal with or it could be easy, Clank didn’t know. The robot hummed in thought for a moment. He actually realized that the missing piece would be a good place to start for now. 

Clank climbed up onto the Dimensionator and opened the top of it to scan the contents more clearly. He grabbed a screwdriver and made some small adjustments he saw here and there. Although the device was going to be a big effort on his part and might take weeks or even months to repair on his own, the goal of finding his father was his driving motivation. It was a project that he would never give up on, a key that he craved, and a secret that no one would ever-

_Step step step_

If Clank had an organic heart, it would have stopped. Every joint in his mechanical body locked into place as he heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs. He checked his internal clock. Three in the morning? What was Ratchet doing up at three in the morning? Clank felt the slight need to start panicking, as he was now at risk of being discovered, but he tried to focus on how things were in his favor. Ratchet just woke up so he was not very perceptive at the moment and the hologuise upstairs must have worked because Ratchet wasn’t calling his name or anything. And as long as he didn’t make any noise, he wouldn’t be discovered. Clank relaxed just a small bit as he found peace within his logic. The only thing he had to worry about was how long Ratchet was going to stay downstairs.

A few minutes went by and Clank was still not moving. All he heard was Ratchet come downstairs and a door close. Clank’s eyes narrowed slightly, hoping Ratchet wasn’t sneaking into the pantry for a midnight snack. They had talked about that. But a certain sound alerted him of just what his friend was up to.

_Fluuush!_

There was the sound of a door opening and more footsteps, which started going back up the stairs. Clank let out a silent sigh. With Ratchet going back to bed, he was now in the clear. That was certainly a tense situation. The last thing he needed was Ratchet finding out that he was working on repairing a device that caused trouble for them, both physically and emotionally. Clank’s joints finally unlocked as he was no longer tense. However, that also led to his hand releasing, which was currently holding the screwdriver. It fell down into the Dimensionator and prepared to hit the bottom with a loud clang, but Clank scrambled to catch it, grabbing it as the tip barely hit the bottom, making the smallest _tink_ noise. The robot lowered his head in relief, not believing how close that was and that he actually managed to catch the screwdriver. Now he just needed to wait for Ratchet to fall asleep again and-

_BAM! CLINK! CLANG! CLINKLANG!_

The boxing glove on a spring that the Dimensionator held (for reasons Clank or anyone really understood) popped out of its socket and punched a pile of tools and supplies Clank had stored to help him with the repairs, making an absurd amount of noise. The footsteps upstairs stopped for a moment. Clank jumped as an alerting voice called out.

“What was that?” Ratchet yelled out. He ran down the stairs to the bottom, looking around, his ears standing up. Clank hoped that he would just brush it off as a false alarm. Though more of the tools falling over dashed his hopes instantly. Ratchet began walking in the direction of the secret area. “Hey! Is someone in there? Come out, now!”

Clank had his back up against a crate, his hands clasped together. He knew that it was all over now but he didn’t want that to be the case. He had come so far with the progress on the Dimensionator. He thought to himself, maybe he could lie? He wasn’t good at lying and honestly hated doing it, but this had to be a special exception. He had no other choice. With a heavy heart, Clank made his way out of the hidden area and came out of the tarp entrance.

Ratchet raised a brow as he saw just who emerged from the crates, “Clank? What are you doing back here?”

“Oh, I was...um-”

“Wait wait wait, but...I just saw you upstairs. How are you down here?”

“Well, you see, first and foremost, I have a very good explanation for-”

Ratchet squinted his eyes and crept towards the entrance of the secret area, “Do I see light coming from in there?”

“Yes, you do, and as I said, I do have a good explanation.”

“And that explanation is…?”

The robot tapped his fingers together for a moment before grabbing on to whatever excuse he could come up with. “I was...cleaning back there.”

Ratchet folded his arms and raised a brow again, “Cleaning? Back there? At three in the morning?”

“Yes,” Clank said, his voice almost cracking. 

“...You are just the worst liar,” Ratchet said with a groan. He walked towards the entrance, “So what do you _really_ have going on in there?”

Clank’s optics went wide as he quickly blocked the entrance to the secret area, much to Ratchet’s surprise, “I told you, I am cleaning. Please do not track any dust in, I just finished dusting.”

The Lombax picked the small robot up and set him to the side, then went under the tarp despite his friend’s protest. After following the short path, his eyes almost immediately set on the Dimensionator. Ratchet frowned and sent a small glare at Clank, “This is definitely an odd thing to be dusting.”

Clank walked up next to him and lowered his head in slight shame. He looked up at Ratchet with slightly sad eyes, wanting to offer justification for what he was doing. “Ratchet, I can explain.”

“What are you doing with the Dimensionator? Why are you...are you trying to fix it?!” Ratchet exclaimed, seeing all the tools laying around. He was shocked at what he was seeing. “Clank, what were you thinking? This thing has caused us nothing but trouble, you know that!”

“I do, I do know that, and I am sorry that I brought it here. But…”

“But what? What reason could you possibly have to repair a dangerous wormhole device that leads to nothing but disaster?”

“Because...because it is the one device that can help me find my father. It is the key to finding out what happened to him. It is the only way I can find out if...if he is really gone or not,” Clank said, his eyes narrowing in a sad position.

Ratchet took a step back and his ears lowered slightly. The moment he saw the Dimensionator, he had a feeling Orvus would be the reason why Clank was trying to repair it. He didn’t realize just how desperate his friend was. Clank was the one who told him not to use the Dimensionator when they first found it, after all. Ratchet knew that Orvus meant a lot to Clank, but he didn’t expect the robot to go this far. He honestly didn’t know how to feel about this. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to repair it?” Ratchet asked, his voice much less intense now.

“I did not know how you would react to it being here. As you said, this device has only led to disasters. So I have been repairing it in secret. I have even gone as far as setting up a decoy upstairs with the hologuise. I suppose I wanted to hide it so I could protect you if you were not ready for it again. ” Clank said sincerely. 

Ratchet couldn’t help but let out a breathy chuckle, “Even when tinkering with dimension ripping devices, you’re always thinking about my safety.”

“I am truly sorry about this, Ratchet. I know this is very selfish of me, but I truly believe that this device could give me the answers I have been after. If my father is really out there, I want to find him. I want to meet him. And, if he is not there, then...I suppose this is the closest thing I will get to closure.” Clank walked over to the Dimensionator and picked up the screwdriver, adjusting one of the screws. “However, whatever the results may be, I have made up my mind. I am going to fix the Dimensionator. And I will stress that you do not have to get involved. This is my problem, after all. The last thing I wish to do is drag you into it.”

The robot grunted as he struggled with a screw, which was sitting at an odd angle, making screwing it in difficult. He didn’t hear Ratchet saying anything. There was only silence. But it was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps. Clank felt a hint of sadness, expecting the tarp to move as Ratchet left. However, he was surprised when a hand grabbed the screwdriver and took it from him. Clank frowned as he saw Ratchet with the tool in his hand, expecting to be told to leave and give up on the Dimensionator. Instead, the Lombax, with a straight face, adjusted the screw and properly screwed it into place. Clank looked at him with disbelief. A smile then grew on the Lombax’s face.

“Screws at that angle suck.”

Clank was still in disbelief as Ratchet gathered some of the nearby tools and piled them up next to him. “You are actually going to help me repair the Dimensionator?”

“While I’m not exactly fond of the Dimensionator, I do trust your judgment. And your determination to find Orvus. And, you know...we’re a team. Your problems are my problems,” Ratchet said with a shrug and another smile.

The robot’s mood seemed to perk up instantly, his optics bright with excitement and happiness, “Thank you, Ratchet.”

“No problem, pal. Now, run a new diagnostic scan, have it set to record a detailed report and we’ll work from there.” Clank nodded and started running a new scan, deleting the one he did earlier. As he did, Ratchet looked around. “By the way, what’s with the Christmas lights? Can’t you see in the dark with your brightness turned up?”

“Yes, but this makes it even easier to see. It is also a form of aesthetic that I enjoy.”

The Lombax shook his head, smirking at Clank. “You _would_ think about workplace aesthetics, even when working on something like this.”

After reporting the results of the diagnostic scan, Clank handed Ratchet a flashlight and a wrench, then they both got to work.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**You ever get excited to write plot points but you first need to fight through the stuff in between? That’s what I’m going through right now. I’m just so excited for what’s in store! And I’m excited for you all to see where the story is going!**

**Not much else to say except thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	3. The Path Opens

Ratchet and Clank worked on the Dimensionator in the dead of the night until early in the morning. It was when the clock struck seven and the sun began to rise that Clank had Ratchet go back to bed and regain the sleep he had lost in those four hours. As much as he wanted to fix the Dimensionator as soon as possible, he was not going to allow the process to hinder his friend's sleep schedule and health. Luckily, Ratchet was on board with that thought process, as he put up no fight in going to bed.

During the hours that Ratchet slept, Clank logged the repairs they did on the Dimensionator. While the energy core and missing part had yet to be taken care of, they had worked hard on just about everything else. New Raritanium plating, brand new circuitry along with fresh circuit boards, oiled pistons, and even a new head strap with much more comfortable material. If they didn't have previous experience with the device, they would think it was a brand new Dimensionator. The time they managed to do it in was even more impressive. Then again, Ratchet & Clank were always much more efficient when they were working together.

Clank couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement as he took great pride in the amount of progress they were making. He realized that he wouldn't be anywhere close to this much progress if he were still working alone. He thanked his lucky stars that Ratchet agreed to help him in the end. But, of course, he wanted to thank Ratchet himself. And while he had done it verbally, he wanted to make a gesture that would express his appreciation.

After finishing adjustments on the Dimensionator's head strap, Clank covered the device with a tarp and, for the first time in hours, walked away from it. His eyes looked up at the clock as he trotted into the kitchen. It was almost noon. The Veldin sun was already burning high in the sky. Ratchet was most likely going to wake up soon. At least, he would the moment he smelled breakfast. Or rather, lunch.

Clank grabbed his step stool and dragged it over to the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs and some raw bacon. Then he settled him and his ingredients up on the counter next to the stove. The robot climbed into one of the upper cabinets and grabbed two frying pans, which he quickly lit up with the stove burners. Ever so carefully, he cracked two eggs into one pan and laid four strips of bacon into the other. The food sizzled as it met the hot surface and began releasing a pleasant aroma into the air. While Clank himself couldn't smell it, he knew someone else would.

Clank's theory proved to be right. Ratchet was snoring up in his bed, laying in an awkward position as usual. His ears twitched as they picked up the sound of the sizzling. He stirred a bit, his ears still twitching as he opened his eyes halfway. Trying to process what was going on, he yawned and happened to breathe in the scent of the food through his nose, which instantly got his attention. Ratchet fully opened his eyes and sat up, his nose twitching like his ears. Before he got up, he took a quick glance at the clock and then outside, realizing just how late he slept in. With a stretch and another yawn, he got up and went down the stairs, smiling big at the wonderful sight of hot food.

"Fresh bacon and waking up at noon, what more could a Lombax want?" Ratchet realized just what kind of question that was, and quickly said before Clank could even open his mouth, "Don't answer that."

"Good morning to you, too. Or rather, afternoon," Clank said, tending to the eggs with a spatula.

The Lombax walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Usually you only cook breakfast when you're really happy. Or when Tal's here and you don't trust me to cook."

"Consider it as a thank you for your compliance with the Dimensionator project."

"You already thanked me verbally, so you must be feeling pretty appreciative," Ratchet said, taking the cap off the juice.

Clank sent him a quick glare, "Not appreciative enough to allow you to drink that juice from the carton."

The Lombax froze before taking a drink from the juice carton. He lowered it, "Alright, alright, I'll get a glass."

Satisfied with his friend's decision, Clank scooped up the bacon and eggs and plated them, holding the plate out for Ratchet to grab on the way to the table with his glass of orange juice. He hopped down from his step stool and followed Ratchet to the table, climbing up into the chair across from him. Both to talk to him and to see how much he liked the food. Deep down, Clank had always been slightly anxious about people eating his food. Thankfully, the look on Ratchet's face when he took a bite told him that his food was great.

"How does a robot with no organic taste buds make food this good?" Ratchet asked, already taking more bites out of the eggs.

"While I myself cannot taste the food, I can apply scientific factors when I am cooking. I can calculate the proper timing, amounts, and balance in each ingredient," Clank explained with a small hint of pride.

"That's definitely better than my method. I just wing it half the time. I'll get better someday."

Ratchet started tearing into his bacon as Clank pulled out a tablet to finish logging their process on the Dimensionator. It became a little too quiet for Ratchet's liking, so he decided to take advantage of Clank's excitement of the Dimensionator to ask him a few questions that had been bouncing around in his head.

"So, what are you gonna do when...well, if…" Ratchet shook his head, wanting to keep hopes high. While he found this to possibly be a bad thing, it was more for the sake of Clank's spirit. "When we find your father?"

Clank put the tablet down and simply watched Ratchet finish his breakfast. "I have not given that much consideration. I suppose I have been so focused on the method of finding him that I have not given the consideration of the results."

"Really? You don't just sit down and imagine a 'what if' scenario and play out how meeting your own father would go?"

"No, I have not." Clank tilted his head as he noticed the look on Ratchet's face. "...Have you?"

"Me? No no no, of course I haven't. I was just speaking, you know, hypothetically." The Lombax cleared his throat and quickly moved on. "Anyway, I'm sure that you have a lot of questions for Orvus."

"That is true. I would like to hear the story of where he has been and what he has been doing all this time."

"That's a story I'd like to hear, too…" Ratchet cleared his plate and drank the rest of his juice. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Well, we won't be able to ask him while we're sitting around. Let's get back to work."

Clank stopped his friend immediately. He remembered his policy of Ratchet's health being put first. "Not so fast, Ratchet. I believe you should wash up, first."

"Wash up? Eh, I'll do it later. Besides, I'm still presentable..." It only took one whiff of himself for Ratchet to admit defeat. He was already on his way towards the bathroom. "...I'll be back in twenty minutes."

It was indeed twenty minutes later in which Ratchet exited the bathroom, steam from the shower exiting with him. His fur was still slightly damp, but overall he was as fresh as could be. Though he hated how hard it was to get his clothes on with wet fur. But it was over and done with and they could get back to work.

Clank had already uncovered the Dimensionator and finally finished logging everything they had done to it. He had pulled out all the necessary tools they would need and had neatly arranged them by type. There were also refreshments prepared, but that was more of a kind gesture on Clank's part.

Ratchet shook off some excess water from his tail and walked up next to Clank, placing a hand on his waist, "So now that you have everything we've already done recorded, what's the next step? You said there were two big things that we needed, right?"

"Correct. The first of which is an energy core. Even with the repairs we made, the device will never work without a power source," Clank replied, looking a bit concerned.

"And since the Dimensionator takes so much energy to make portals, it would need a core that's at or almost at full power." Ratchet placed a hand on his chin and pondered possibilities. "Maybe we could track down someone who's selling them and just buy one."

"Even if we do manage to find a seller, energy cores are only offered for very high prices."

"You're right, I guess that would be out of the question if we don't want to end up living in cardboard boxes." The Lombax sat down on a crate and tried to think. "There has to be some way to get our hands on one…"

"We could always have a look in the junkyard," The small robot mused, though he was quick to shoot down his own idea. "But I doubt that we will just be able to find one randomly. Past events dictate that we are rather unlucky."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Ratchet sat there for a moment thinking about what Clank said. However, within moments, his eyes lit up. "Or are we?"

"Hm?" Clank tilted his head as Ratchet suddenly got up off the crate and went behind the staircase, where they kept the crates of junk. He quickly followed his friend and peeked behind the stairs. Ratchet was prying open a certain crate. Clank trotted over to him. "What are you doing?"

Ratchet got one of the crates open and hopped up onto the ledge of it, digging through the contents inside. "The junkyard may not have energy cores," he grabbed and dumped several broken weapons onto the ground in front of Clank, "but I know some things that do."

Clank hummed in concerned thought as he observed the weapons. He quickly found a problem with Ratchet's idea, "It is true that these weapons have energy cores, but they no doubt have very little power in them. A power core from one of these will not be enough to power the Dimensionator."

"One on its own won't be enough…" Ratchet grabbed a screwdriver and opened up an old Plasma Coil and Sheepinator, reaching and side and pulled out two orbs that were dimly lit with a blue and white light, "but a combined effort will be."

"Taking the small charges of each energy core and combining them to make one fully powered core...that could possibly work!"

"I knew you'd like the idea." Ratchet tossed Clank the screwdriver, "You start removing the power cores, I'll get some transfer cables."

It was a long process. Each energy core only had one to two percent power left in it. The amount of weapons they had to dismantle made a bigger mess than the broken weapons originally did. Plasma Whips, Alpha Disruptors, Scorpion Flails, Tesla Claws, there was no end to the variety of weapons they extracted cores from.

Clank would disassemble a weapon to the point where his small hands could reach inside and grab a core, then Ratchet would plug in a transfer cable to take the small amount of power and transfer it to the core they had chosen, which was the extracted empty core from the Dimensionator. It took hours, some naps, snack breaks, finally turning in for overnight rest and continuing on the next day for a fully powered core to be made. It was a tedious process, but it was better than the alternatives they were offered with.

Ratchet, his stomach once again full of a good breakfast, attached the final energy core that they needed. A weakly charged core from a Dynamo of Doom. Clank put the last of the parts away in a crate and joined Ratchet at the table, watching the white and blue spark leave the single core and made the other core shine brighter.

Ratchet smiled as he detached the cable, holding a now shining orb out to Clank, "There we have it, one fully charged energy core."

Clank carefully took the orb into his hands and observed it, "Fascinating. To think we were able to make this from used cores."

"I know, it's like a new form of recycling if you think about it." Ratchet let out a small yawn, shaking off the morning. He got up and back Clank on the back, "Come on, let's go put it in."

Clank eagerly followed his friend to the Dimensionator, which had been neglected for the past day for the energy core process. Ratchet kneeled down and opened the top of the device, stretching out his hand towards Clank, who gave the energy core back to him. Very carefully, the Lombax reached down into the center of the Dimensionator and placed the orb. Clank grabbed a flashlight and shined it down inside, making sure Ratchet connected the right wires. After a few slips and shocks, Ratchet connected the final wire and quickly took his hand out, waiting in silence. The two watched the device for a few moments, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, the yellow lights on it turned on and it whirred to life before settling down into rest mode.

"Yes, it worked!" Ratchet and Clank surprisingly said in unison. Surprisingly because Ratchet expected himself to say that, but not Clank. He would take this moment to tease Clank in a way, but he wasn't going to ruin this moment for him. Instead, Ratchet said, "Alright, we're one step closer. What's next?"

"All that is left is that missing part I have not identified," Clank said, composing himself after his happy outburst.

"Missing part? Let me take a look. I actually think I saw something off in there…" Ratchet looked back inside the Dimensionator, Clank giving him his flashlight to provide himself light, hoping that he would be able to find what was missing. Ratchet rummaged around in the device for a minute before his tail jumped up, "Hey, I think I found it! Yeah, it looks like something snapped off the primary reflux...coil…"

Ratchet came out of the device and gave Clank a look, which the robot shared once he realized what was going on. The robot looked through their supplies and pulled out a certain little piece. "Would that something happen to be a three and three-quarters centi-cubic hexagonal washer?"

The Lombax couldn't help but facepalm and laugh before taking the washer from Clank, "Talk about deja vu…"

Ratchet clicked the washer in just like he did all those years ago. The Dimensionator whirred once again before settling. Clank approached the device, almost reaching out to touch it. "So, does this mean that the Dimensionator is…?"

"Fixed? Yeah. I think it does." The Lombax knelt down next to his friend and smiled. "Are you ready to see your dad?"

Clank suddenly jumped and looked rather alerted. "We are going right now?"

"I thought you would want to go as soon as possible."

"Well, no-I mean, yes! I do not know, it is...I suppose I cannot believe that we have actually done it. I thought it would take so much longer. I fear that I might not be ready for this."

"Hey, it's okay. This is a big deal for you, I don't blame you for freaking out a bit. But I know you're ready. And I know Orvus is ready, too." As much as Ratchet wanted to encourage his friend to not be fearful, he would offer an alternative. "But, if you're nervous, then we can go some other time. There's no need to rush."

Clank tapped his fingers together, considering his options. It took him a few moments to come to a decision. "I _am_ nervous. However...I wish to go. I believe I have kept my father waiting long enough."

"Then let's go," The Lombax said, placing a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. But the hype of the moment was short-lived. "Right after we make some preparations."

The preparations were short and sweet but important. Ratchet prepared by equipping armor, his blue Holoflux armor, and taking his Omniwrench as he didn't know just what was going to be on the other side of that portal. It was better to be safe than sorry. Clank prepared in a more casual way. As Ratchet looked like he was preparing for war, Clank looked like he was preparing for a guest, packing snacks and filling a thermos with tea he made. He made sure Ratchet had his communicator in case they were separated at any time. With the short preparation time done, the moment Clank had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Clank waited outside as Ratchet hauled the Dimensionator outside, where it would be much safer to open a portal. If the robot was organic, he would be shaking with anticipation and excitement. He was almost impatient as Ratchet put the device down and looked at him.

Ratchet stretched his hand out, "Ready, pal?"

"Always," Clank replied, taking Ratchet's hand and being swung onto his back, clicking into the hex mount.

"Alright, let's hope for the best."

Ratchet picked up the Dimensionator and put it on his head, his balance being put off by the sheer weight of it. Hoping for nothing to explode or break, he closed his eyes and pulled on the cord that gave life to the Dimensionator. It whirred and buzzed before lighting up and shooting out the various objects from its pistons (Clank giving the boxing glove a sort of glare). Sparks flew from it, waiting for the command of the person who was wearing it.

"Would you like to do the honors? I did it last time, after all," Ratchet said, looking back at Clank, wanting his friend to have this.

Clank had the biggest smile on his face, wasting no time before saying, "Dimensionator, find Orvus!"

Lights and sparks flew from the Dimensionator as it began its quantum tunneling process. The area became dark as the air felt electrified, seeming like breathing would give someone static shocks. Ratchet held his ground and kept his balance the best he could at the space in front of him ripped open, spiraling and tearing a hole into existence. It shot a white light that almost blinded Ratchet as he shielded his face with his arms. All he could hear was the sound of thunder and cracks of lightning as reality was torn right in front of him.

The portal fully materialized in front of him, the contents of the other side wavering as if it was underwater. Ratchet lowered his arms and waited for his vision to clear before seeing just what the portal was open to. He gasped a bit as his eyes were met with wonder. The place before him he had never seen before, but he believed he knew what it was. "Clank...is that…?"

Clank stared into the portal, certain that he knew where they were headed, "The Zoni Dimension."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Gotta admit, I haven't got much to say. I'll just tell you that next chapter is going to be _very_ exciting.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	4. Dimensional Discovery

Ratchet felt as if dozens of hands grabbed him and pulled him into the portal. The power of the sucking vortex was too strong for him to resist. He was sure glad that the portal to Fastoon that Tachyon made hadn't been like this. The duo yelled in both thrill and horror as they were ripped out of their reality and taken into the separate dimension, the portal closing the moment they were whisked away, leaving not a sound behind it.

The two landed roughly on the ground the portal decided to throw them onto. The Dimensionator came off of Ratchet's head and landed a few feet away. Ratchet tried his best not to blackout from the experience. He coughed, creating small clouds of dust and dirt with his breath. Clank was reconfiguring his directions and gyroscope so he could actually tell where he was position-wise.

Ratchet coughed again, propping himself up on his arm, "Not exactly the smoothest trip. You alright, pal?"

"I am fine. Did you sustain any injuries?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure I have dirt in my lungs."

"Dirt?" Clank hopped off of Ratchet's back and scooped up a hand full of the soil. It was rich and full of nutrients. The small robot's jaw dropped as he looked up, "Oh my stars…"

"It's just dirt, pal, you don't have to be _that_ impressed…" Ratchet said, lifting himself up off the ground. However, when he looked up, his eyes widened as his eyes shined with the sight before him. "That, however, is definitely something to be impressed about."

With their wild ride over, Ratchet and Clank could experience the Zoni Dimension in its full glory with their own eyes. A sparkling blue abyss laid before them with golden spires towering across it all. The Zoni zipped around the spires, leaving behind a stringy trail of light behind them. The blue and purple trees swayed with the motion of Zoni flying by, their leaves leaving behind shimmer trails as they moved. The floating rock platforms and trails were lined with blue-green shrubbery and white flowers, along with purple crystals that stuck out of the rocky undersides. Crystal clear waterfalls flowed off the side of some of the platforms. Everything in the dimension shined like they were made with the very stars themselves. It was like the Great Clock as if it was a large city.

Ratchet and Clank were in complete awe. They had heard of the Zoni Dimension many times before, Ratchet even once trying to get there to find Clank many years ago, but they never even tried to imagine what it looked like. Now that they were seeing it with their own eyes, they realized that it was more beautiful and breathtaking than their imaginations would have been able to handle.

"So, this is the Zoni Dimension…" Ratchet said, watching a shimmering leaf fall from a tree and into the twinkling blue abyss below. He looked back up at the golden spires, "I didn't know that...it's just so...wow. To think that this is where the Zoni came from."

"It is indeed an incredible sight," Clank agreed. However, with how awestruck he was with the dimension, he pulled himself out of his amazed trance and refocused on his goal, which he was now questioning. "As wonderful as this dimension looks, we must realize what just happened. The Dimensionator responded when I told it to find Orvus."

"Hey, you're right," the Lombax said, pulling himself out of his trance and noticing that Clank was speaking fact. He stood up and brushed off his pants, then he looked around. They were one of the floating rock trails, but it looked like they were the only ones on it. "So, if the Dimensionator opened a portal to Orvus...where is he?"

"That is an excellent question. I do not see him anywhere-"

_"State your business."_

Ratchet and Clank were startled by a group of three Zoni suddenly appearing behind them. They quickly stepped back and Ratchet put away the Omniwrench he had pulled out in alert. It took them a quick moment to curiously examine the appearance of these Zoni. They looked different than the ones they had encountered previously. The Zoni they were used to were dressed in black and silver suits, almost looking mechanical with an organic face. But these Zoni were dressed in white and blue robes instead, their hands, feet, head, and even antennae free from suits. While it was strange, it made sense. Zoni were beings of pure energy given form, and they needed special suits to survive outside of their dimension. Since they were in their own dimension, the suits weren't required. Ratchet still found it to be an odd sight, however.

As strange of a sight as the clothed Zoni were, they seemed to be glaring at the two. They were waiting for a response from the two non-Zoni trespassers. Ratchet looked down at Clank, knowing that he would be able to handle this since Clank himself possessed the soul of a Zoni. Clank got the gesture and nodded, stepping forward, which just made the three Zoni uneasy.

"We are terribly sorry for intruding upon the Zoni Dimension without announcing ourselves, but we are here for an important reason. We are looking for Orvus," Clank placed a hand on his chest, "I am his son, XJ-0461. If my father is here, please take us to him."

All three Zoni backed up and went wide-eyed at the mention of the name "XJ-0461". The group looked at one another, the ends of their antennae flashing with a blue light, as if they were communicating with one another through the flashes. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other then back of the Zoni, wondering just what was going on. Suddenly, the three Zoni looked back at them, their expressions much friendlier than before.

_"Yes, sire,"_ the group said in telepathic unison. They floated forward, down the rock path, _"Please follow us."_

Clank tilted his head and looked up at Ratchet, who shrugged, "Well, that was easy enough. Let's go."

Ratchet gestured to Clank to follow him and the robot was right behind him. They traveled down the long trail, other groups of Zoni zipping by them leaking their sparky trails of blue light. The golden spires casted shadows upon them as they walked by. Another shimmering leaf fell from a tree and landed in Clank's hand, to which he gently placed on a shrub. He walked up next to Ratchet, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked off to the side. Ratchet, though he was admiring the scenery, caught a look at his friend's face.

Ratchet tapped a hand against Clank's shoulder before putting the said hand in his pocket. "Still nervous?"

Clank shrugged, looking off into the distance. "I honestly do not know. I have been wanting this for so long and now that it is actually happening, at such an incredible rate as well, I suppose my processor is having a hard time keeping up."

"I kinda know how you feel right now. Even I'm feeling overwhelmed. We were vacationing, and now we're suddenly in another dimension looking for someone who's been missing for years. It's a lot for me to take in, too." After having said that, Ratchet was slightly worried that it sounded like he was complaining. He was quick to recover, "But it's all worth it to help you out."

"I just hope that everything is alright with my father," the robot muttered, his eyes showing a sign of worry. Even though the Dimensionator responded with his command to find Orvus, a line of bad thoughts went through his head. He was worried that these Zoni were leading them to some sort of memorial for Orvus. Or even a grave. Just because the Dimensionator found Orvus didn't mean he was alive.

"I'm sure everything is going to be fine. He's Orvus, what could have possibly happened to him?" Ratchet said, trying to keep Clank's spirits up.

Clank looked up at him and gave him a smile, but the Zoni were quick to interrupt the moment, _"We are here."_

Ratchet and Clank looked up at the three robed Zoni, who were now facing them. The two had been so busy talking and admiring the dimension around them that they hadn't been paying much attention to just where they were going to. They were at the end of the rocky trail, which appeared to spread out into a small island attached to the trail. On that island was a light blue metal dome-shaped hut. The "yard" was lined with flowers and foliage was growing all over the outside of the hut itself. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other again and went to take a step forward, but were startled once more by the Zoni, being taken back by the flash of white they left behind when they teleported. They waited, but the Zoni didn't come back. Confused but curious, they took another step forward. This time they were stopped by the door of the hut opening.

Ratchet and Clank were slightly on alert as a figure stood in the doorway of the hut. They were too far away to tell just what the figure was. After a moment, the person stepped forward into the light. They seemed to be a bit taller than Ratchet, wearing a white shirt with baggy sleeves, dark gray pants, and a black cape that was draped across their shoulders and covered their head like a hood. But as different as the clothes were, the face and appendages were oddly familiar. Pink skin, large turquoise eyes, three-fingered hands, pink rounded feet, and two long antennae that were standing up on their head. His large eyes went wide as he got a good look at just who was standing outside his hut.

"Clank...Ratchet…" he said in a very familiar voice. "What are you two doing here?"

Ratchet and Clank's eyes went wide as they realized just who this person was. This tall, slender figure draped in a black cape was none other than the person they had been searching for: Orvus.

"Father…" Clank said in disbelief, his optics shining brightly with both joy and confusion.

"What...why...why do you look…" Ratchet said, trying to form a sentence, but was too shocked at Orvus' appearance.

The two were surprised when Orvus suddenly burst into laughter, the Zoni facepalming at this whole situation. He smiled and walked forward in front of the two, "Yes, I suppose you would have more questions for me than I do for you. But I was serious in asking my question before, what are you two doing here? How did you even find me?"

"Uhhh…" Ratchet nudged Clank forward. "Clank can answer that for you."

Clank glared at Ratchet behind him, then looked up at his father with innocent eyes. Orvus kneeled down to get a better look at his son and waited patiently to hear what he had to say. Clank stuttered slightly, feeling immense pressure, "W-Well, you see, I-er, well...I may have been working on fixing a trans-dimensional portal device to find you because, I-um...I believed that you were alive and I wanted to...to meet you, and…" Clank squeezed his eyes shut and held out his hand, "hello, I am your son, it is very nice to finally meet you."

Orvus raised a brow (not that he had eyebrows...or any hair for that matter) at Clank's formal greeting and outstretched hand, but he was still smiling. The Zoni chuckled before shaking his son's hand, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you as well."

The two shook hands and looked at each other, smiling. After a moment of silence, the two acted at the same time. Orvus took Clank into his arms as Clank happily accepted his loving embrace. The Zoni held his son close, not believing that this moment had finally come after all these years. He had dreamed of just getting to see his son with his own eyes, but the universe had other plans for Clank, so he had to simply watch from afar. Never in his life would he have guessed that he would actually get to embrace his son and truly feel like a father. He could feel Clank clinging on to his robe and knew that his son felt the same.

The moment Orvus and Clank parted, Ratchet, who just had the biggest smile on his face, stepped in. "Look, I'm really, really happy for the both of you right now, I really am. And I don't mean to interrupt this moment but what-" Ratchet gestured to Orvus' entire being, "-is all this about? What happened to you?"

The Zoni gave a small smile as he looked down at his own hands, "Heh, of course. I knew it would not take you long to address my form."

"But he is right to question it. Father, please, tell us what has caused this transformation. We would like to hear the entire story," Clank pleaded, looking up at his father.

Orvus nodded, then gestured to his hut, "Very well, I will tell you everything. It would be rude of me to deny you the truth after you have traveled this far for me. Please, come inside." Ratchet and Clank quickly followed the odd Zoni up the trail to his house, but Orvus gasped as he looked at Ratchet. "Oh dear, I haven't even greeted you yet! Forgive me. Hello, Ratchet, it is a pleasure to finally meet you as well."

"Yeah, you too. Nice to see what you're doing well." The Lombax eyed Orvus' peculiar form again. He muttered to himself, "I...I think."

Orvus opened the door to his hut and waited for Ratchet and Clank to come inside before closing the door. Orvus' hut was small but oddly cozy, despite all the computers and screens on one half of the place. There were biological statistics and an outline of Orvus' form on one screen and lots of data and scientific formulas on the others. Clank tried to get a good look at them, but Orvus turned the screens off, saying that it was just data he was collecting. He offered the duo a seat on what he had available. Ratchet sat on a stool with a cushion that had been sitting in front of all the computer screens and Clank got up onto Orvus' bed, which was just a flat mattress and a dark blue blanket.

The strange Zoni walked over to a metal box he had and pulled out a strange-looking fruit. It was a spherical blue fruit with dark purple and blue spikes. "Would you like some Zonieye Fruit, Ratchet? It's a special fruit that grows on some of the trees here in the Zoni Dimension."

"Is it...is it good?" Ratchet questioned, looking quizzically at the bizarre-looking fruit.

"I think it is."

The Lombax shrugged. "Alright, I'll try it."

Ratchet opened his hands, ready for the fruit to be tossed at him, but Orvus just kindly handed it to him instead, which he also found good. Orvus looked at his son, "Would you like anything, Clank?"

"No thank you, father. But, um…" Clank opened his chest compartment and pulled out the thermos he had filled before going on this trip, "I made you this before we came here."

"Oh? What is it?" Orvus said, accepting the thermos and twisting the cap off.

"It is tea that I prepared. I remember you leaving to drink tea in a video that you left me, so I thought that you would like it," the robot said, a bit embarrassed. "But if you do not like it, that is fine as well-"

Clank looked up at Orvus in surprise as the Zoni had half the thermos of the tea gone. He let out a sigh of relief as he found content in the tea's flavor, "I have gone so long without tea…" Orvus suddenly remembered his manners and looked embarrassed himself. He cleared his throat and put a hand on his son's head, smiling, "Thank you, son."

The two looked at Ratchet, who just took a bite of the Zonieye Fruit. It had a sweet flavor to it, and the spikes were filled with refreshing sweet water. He gave a thumbs-up, "This fruit is weird, but it's really good."

"I am glad to hear it," Orvus said happily.

"Now then, about this...form of yours," Ratchet said, Clank nodding in agreement about wanting to know what happened.

Orvus' happiness almost completely faded. He closed his eyes for a moment and he took a deep breath, which made the duo look concerned. The Zoni walked over to some of his scientific equipment, which involved some electrodes, beakers, a pair of scissors, and a crate of nanotech sitting underneath the desk. Orvus picked up the scissors and opened the crate of nanotech, which made Clank tilt his head and gave Ratchet an uneasy feeling.

Orvus rubbed the back of his head and looked at the two, "Forgive me for the demonstration I'm about to show. But I believe that you will find it easier to hear my story if you know the ending of it first."

Taking a deep breath and preparing himself, Orvus ran the blade of the scissor across the top of his hand, making both Ratchet and Clank jump. Clank was about to ask what sort of demonstration this was, as Orvus could not be affected by cuts due to being made of energy, but what he saw shoved those words back down.

Blood ran down Orvus' hand and dripped onto the floor, all of it coming from the cut on his hand. Ratchet was in complete shock and Clank's optics could not be wider. It was Ratchet who finally began saying what they were thinking, "You're...you're bleeding…"

"Zoni do not bleed," Clank finished.

Orvus closed his eyes and nodded. The nanotech activated and entered his cut, healing the wound completely. He looked at the two with sad and distressed eyes, "You are right, a normal Zoni does not bleed. But ever since I escaped that treacherous Dr. Nefarious, I have been different. This is why my form has changed. I have become an organic."

"What?!" Ratchet and Clank shouted in unison.

"How is that even possible?" Ratchet said, almost getting up out of his seat.

Orvus walked over to them and sat down on the bed next to Clank, ready to tell the story that they wanted to hear. "I will tell you how. It all started when I went to Zanifar…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Eeeeeh, he's here! I'm soooo excited to work with an Orvus like this! So many fun possibilities! And you're going to witness all of them! Orvus is going to be a fun character, I promise.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	5. The Curse of Life

**NOTE: For the past story portion of this chapter-**

Normal next is the past

_Indented text is the present commentary_

**It'll make more sense in a moment. Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"It all started when I went to Zanifar. As I'm sure you know by now, I was captured by Dr. Nefarious under the lie that he was a scientist simply requesting an audience with me to discuss our ideas and accomplishments. Nothing was more humiliating than falling into his trap. At least, I thought I couldn't be more humiliated. Then the next events occurred…"

**Tombli Outpost, Zanifar - Five Years Ago**

"This is your last chance, Orvus. How do I get into the chamber?!" Nefarious shouted, his patience wearing thin.

"You are making a mistake. The Clock is not a time machine…" Orvus said weakly, struggling to get his words out as he had reached his absolute limit. Every bit of him hurt. His mind was cloudy. It was apparent that his pleas were not reaching Dr. Nefarious and it was too late to take a non-peaceful approach. For once, Orvus did not know what to do.

Nefarious, frustrated by the Zoni's lack of cooperation, subjected Orvus to more of the torture he had been enduring for the last hour. Upon his command, the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler activated and shot at Orvus with the Zoni's most horrid weakness: sonic blasts.

Orvus put up a shield but was still pushed back by the impact. There was no time left. What happened next was up to something he had made a long time ago. He glared at Nefarious and gave the villain his final thoughts. "There is only one who will enter my chamber. And he is safe. Far from you."

In a bright flash of light, Orvus disappeared, leaving Nefarious and his minions shocked in stun, panicking over where their Zoni prisoner had gone.

_"To them, it seemed like I dissipated into thin air. In reality, I merely put reliance into something I thought I would never need. You see, the suit I used to wear was not merely for letting me survive outside the Zoni Dimension. Before I came to the dimension you two call home, I installed a failsafe in my suit. If I was ever pushed to my limits and brought to the brink of death, I would be teleported to the Zoni Dimension for safety. However, it had gone untested, as I could never create a situation in which it could be used. All the suit's programming knew was to keep me from perishing. If only I had known exactly what that would lead to…"_

The failsafe in Orvus' suit activated at just the right time. The yellow lights on the suit flashed and began the teleportation. However, the suit alone did not have the power to travel dimensions. In order to get the power it needed, it siphoned almost all power Orvus had left in him and proceeded with the dimensional tunneling. As Orvus was brought to safety, he could feel his very being slipping away. It seemed that the device had been too late and the power it had taken from him would be his very downfall.

The blurry vision of the Zoni Dimension greeted him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He reached up towards the shimmering blue majesty that was his home, pleading like he had done with Nefarious. He didn't want to die. There were still more things that he wanted to see and do. There was a whole universe to explore and he spent it locked away in the Great Clock. The universe, the stars, Sigmund, his son...he would never see any of them again if he didn't do something before he closed his eyes. The elder Zoni held his hands close to his chest and gathered energy, his suit responding to his actions, and hoped that the suit's programming would do something.

_"The next part is lost on me, as I was nearly unconscious. I gathered power and blacked out, not knowing if I was going to wake up. All I know is that I wanted the power or the suit to do something to keep me alive, no matter what it was. The result, which was successful, was something I was not expecting."_

Orvus didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The moment that the light of day reached him and he finally woke up, he stirred. His senses were slowly coming back to him and he was finally getting in touch with reality again. However, something was wrong. He felt a tightness in his chest and throat. It was extremely uncomfortable and almost painful. It was like his body needed something that it wasn't getting. That something was...oxygen?

The elder Zoni took a deep breath in, followed by some gasping. His chest rose and fell with his struggling breaths. At first, he was gasping because he needed the air, next he was doing it because of the fact that he needed air. The Zoni were creatures of pure energy with no organs or biological necessities outside of their suits. They were able to breathe in, but they didn't actually need it. Why did he need it?

As he continued to breathe, Orvus managed to open his eyes a bit, the blurriness of the Zoni Dimension coming into view as he blinked a few times. Judging from where he was looking, he was laying on his back. It was strange, though, as he could actually feel the rough terrain of the rocky platform on his back. Shouldn't his suit's wings be in the way? Perhaps they broke off from the fall? Orvus looked to the side and did, in fact, see the wings on his suit. But what surprised him was that he saw the rest of his suit laying next to them. He felt instant embarrassment, hoping that he had a robe on. At least it explained why he could feel the terrain on his back.

Orvus moved a bit and did feel clothing, which instantly put him at ease. One of the Zoni must have put a robe on him. He lifted his hand into his view but was quickly startled. Honestly, he didn't know if it was his slightly messed up vision or if he was hallucinating, but he swore that his hand looked bigger than normal. It even looked to be a different shape, with a defined wrist and an arm that seemed longer than usual. The look of confusion and slight horror intensified as he reached over to grab his suit, only for the helmet alone to almost fit in a single hand. Either his hand had grown or his suit had shrunk. It was enough of a shock to make Orvus quickly drop the helmet. The gasping started again as this was truly freaking him out. The Zoni was almost hesitant to make his next move. Squeezing his eyes shut, he slowly pushed himself off the ground and got into a sitting position. He kept his eyes closed for a moment trying to calm his breathing. When it finally got to a slower pace, he opened a single eye and looked at the rest of his body. It took every fiber of his being not to scream.

Orvus frantically looked around for any kind of reflective surface. He found what he was looking for in the form of a crystal sticking out of the ground. Stumbling and falling, he dragged himself over to the crystal and looked at his reflection. He was taller with proportions of a species like Markazian or Lombax, his antennae were longer and were currently bent behind his head (most likely reacting to his emotions), and he was dressed in a white shirt, gray pants, and a black cloak that had slipped off of him when he moved. Orvus was on the verge of hyperventilating as he realized what had happened to him. The breathing, the form, the beat he could feel in his chest: he had become an organic.

_"I am honestly surprised that I didn't go into shock when I realized what had happened to my body. Even now I cannot look in the mirror without my heart skipping a beat. I tried to deny it, but deep down, I knew what had happened to me."_

In a panic, Orvus tried his best to use his powers. A ball of energy, teleportation, anything! But it quickly became clear that he was devoid of power, as to be expected with this organic form. He couldn't even connect to the hivemind. He was...alone. Orvus placed his back against the crystal, his eyes wide and his breathing and heartbeat still going fast. He looked down at his hands as they began to shake, then placed them on the back of his head. This is the solution that the suit had when given that energy? Keeping him alive by changing his anatomy so drastically that he became an organic? Orvus didn't even know that the suit's programming was capable of doing that. This was what happened when he couldn't test something, he should have known better than to put that program in!

The frustration within him was so intense that he slammed his fist against the crystal he had looked into, only to be met with sharp pain. Orvus gritted his teeth as he retracted his hand. But his eyes went wide and he felt himself become light-headed as he saw something sickening: blood coming out of a fresh cut on his hand. It appeared that he had cut it on a sharp edge. Orvus held his hand close and put his back against the crystal again, sliding down. Deep down he was trying to tell himself that this wasn't happening. It was just a bad dream. Any minute now he would wake up good as new in his Zoni form. He would recover and return to the other dimension as strong as ever.

But that was just a fantasy to him now. No matter how much he denied it, he knew that this was reality, that he truly was trapped in an organic body now. The next step was now a mystery to him. Even after escaping Nefarious, he still did not know what to do. The closest thing to an idea he had was to journey to the lab he had in this dimension. Then he would have to dedicate all of his time to figure how to change himself back. It was the only option he had.

Orvus kept his back against the crystal as he felt anger rise in him, an emotion that he rarely let himself feel. He felt pathetic. It was his fault for falling into Nefarious' trap. If he had been smart about the situation, he would still be himself instead of being a shell of what he used to be. He gritted his teeth again and put a hand on his head as tears began to burn in his eyes. This was what he got for being so foolish over the years. But he would fix this. If he could repair time itself, then he could repair this.

With tears streaming down his face, Orvus got up and stumbled with his new legs, tripping and falling, injuring himself over and over again until he reached the black cloak that had slipped off him earlier. He grasped it in one hand and threw it over himself, hiding his face under a hood. Then he walked down the path, beginning his very long journey as an organic.

_"I have been plagued with many heartbreaks and tragedies throughout my long life. But this disastrous form change left me at my most vulnerable. Even now I cannot remember if it was my decision or the suit's. But the distressed tears that were in my eyes are something that I can't forget. I threw on my cloak and stormed off towards my lab as if I was trying to spite the force that laid this organic curse upon me."_

**The Zoni Dimension - Present Day**

Orvus had to take a moment after recalling everything he managed to remember about that day. Clank put a supportive hand on his father's arm as Ratchet sat back and processed the story. His ears lowered as he thought about everything Orvus went through on that day.

"I'm...sorry this all happened to you," Ratchet said solemnly.

"Have you made any breakthroughs with the research on restoring your form?" Clank asked, waiting patiently for an answer. He truly wanted to know, but he didn't want to push his father to talk about it, as it might be too much right now.

"Unfortunately, no. All of my research so far has led to nothing but dead ends," Orvus said, his antennae drooping. He stood up and walked over to the largest computer screen, bringing up an outline of himself as well as some info he had on his body and various experiments he had been through. "I have spent time collecting information about my body. Biologically, it seems to have the build of a fit person in their mid-twenties. I have estimated around the age of twenty-five. In terms of changing myself, I have been trying to find a way to absorb Zoni bioenergy in hopes of triggering a form change, but nothing has worked. I have tried direct contact, consumption, injection, but every result is the same. The energy simply dissipated, albeit harmlessly, from my body."

"Hm, that _is_ troubling," Clank said, putting a hand on his chin. He would try to think of a solution himself, but he honestly wouldn't know where to go from there. Not to mention that every experiment would be using his father as a test subject, and if something went wrong...he didn't even want to think about it.

"So that's why you've been here for the past five years? You've been trying to fix your form?" Ratchet asked.

"That and I have been training myself," Orvus replied.

"Training yourself?" Ratchet gave Clank a curious side glance as he questioned what exactly that meant.

"To live as an organic. After all, I have been a being of energy for eons. I was not going to get used to being like this overnight. It took me a week to simply understand my senses. I thank the stars that there is fruit and water in this dimension. I didn't want to burden the other Zoni to get me food."

"That reminds me. What exactly did the Zoni think of your form change?" Clank inquired.

"They were suspicious of me at first. I lost my connection to the hivemind when I changed form, so they could not verify that it was really me. It took me hours to convince them that it was really me. Now they simply go about their business as usual, but I have seen some of them shoot me some awkward looks. Honestly, I do not blame them," Orvus said, turning off the computer and folding his arms.

Ratchet's ears remained lower, his sympathy for Orvus growing. He tried his best to find something that would lighten the mood, anything. "Well, you guys still have some things in common. Pink skin, big eyes, lack of shoes. Seriously, the suit gives you a cloak and no shoes? That's just rude." Ratchet's light words and attempt at a joke managed to bring a small smile to Orvus' face, but it didn't last long. The Lombax frowned himself as he brought himself to ask another question he had, "So, I know you've been busy trying to fix your form and learning to live this way, but...how come you haven't returned to our dimension. The Zoni could have taken you back, right?"

"Yes, it's true, I could have returned this entire time. But I have been avoiding it for two reasons. First, I do not know how my body will react to that amount of Zoni energy. Bioenergy may not harm my body, but spacial bending made by Zoni is much more intense energy. I did not want to risk it."

"And the second reason…?" Clank asked, tilting his head.

Orvus looked off to the side, his arms falling back down as a look of sadness came upon him. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other, Ratchet feeling especially bad for asking the question in the first place, as it was obvious that it was a reason that hurt Orvus. He hesitated before answering, trying to be dignified about it, "The second reason is that...I am ashamed. I am ashamed of falling into Nefarious' trap. I am ashamed of leaving the Clock...leaving Sigmund for so long. And, most of all, I am ashamed that I am like this. I am a shell of my former self. I cannot show my face in the Clock, not while I look like this. I am simply...too ashamed of myself."

The three sat in silence as Orvus lowered his head in despair, mulling over the embarrassment and shame that he felt. Clank had an equal look of sadness on his face, feeling horrible for his father. He wanted to do something in the worst way. He knew that his father deserved better than this. Clank pondered for a moment, coming up with some words of advice for Orvus. Perhaps more experiments he could try. Clank wasn't always good with emotions, but he at least wanted to try. However, he was interrupted before he could even start.

"Well, you shouldn't be!"

Ratchet got up from his seat after his outburst. The other two in the room quickly looked up at him.

"P...Pardon?" Orvus said, looking as surprised as Clank did.

"You shouldn't be ashamed to be like this! To be...different. It's not like you decided to be like this, anyway." Ratchet walked up to Orvus, who still looked surprised at Ratchet's words. "I know that things have been hard for you. But you shouldn't be ashamed to be different. If you let yourself be that way, then you'll end up just hating yourself and becoming bitter and miserable. Trust me, it happens to people, but I don't want it to happen to you."

Orvus recognized the look in Ratchet's eyes, something that resonated with him along with the words. Ratchet wasn't just speaking from the heart, he was speaking from _experience_. The only Lombax in the universe _would_ know what it was like to be different. But he just wasn't sure, "What if Sigmund hates what he sees? What if he's disappointed in me?"

"Sigmund is not the type to hold a grudge against friends," Clank said, getting down from the bed, ready to offer his own words of encouragement. "I'm sure that he would not care what you look like or what you have done, all he will care about is the fact that you are back and safe."

"I suppose. But, my research-"

"Clank can download it and take it with us. You'll have everything you need."

The Zoni looked down at the floor before looking at the two again, still feeling a bit unsure. "Will it really be alright? After all this time? After everything that's happened?"

"I haven't a doubt in my mind. Now come on," Ratchet said, holding a hand out to Orvus, "let's go home."

Orvus hesitated. He looked down at his son, who was smiling and nodding his head in support. He took a deep breath before grasping Ratchet's hand, a small smile on his face, "Okay."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Even former Zoni gods struggle with their emotions and insecurities.**

**I really love diving into Orvus' psyche and conveying just what he's going through. He's just a character that's really great to write. And, even though Clank is Orvus' son, I'm actually looking forward to building up the bond between Orvus and Ratchet. But there will be adorable father-son bonding, don't you worry.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	6. Veldin Vacation

After much reassurance and comfort (despite his willingness to leave), Ratchet led Orvus out of his hut and they both waited outside for Clank to finish downloading all the information off of Orvus' computer. The two shared some small talk before the little robot joined them outside. After staring at it for a few moments and reminiscing, Orvus thanked the hut in his mind and hesitated before following Ratchet and Clank down the path they came.

Orvus noticed the amount of Zoni that just happened to be on the same path as them. He greeted them before waving them off, not wanting them to disturb their work routes with their curiosity. The Zoni Dimension wasn't just about him after all. It was about keeping time in order. Time flowed from the Zoni Dimension, after all. So maintaining proper care at every moment of every day was essential. It was a good thing that Zoni did not require sleep. Every Zoni except him, at least.

Ratchet seemed very relieved that the Dimensionator was exactly where they had left it. He had accidentally left it in the place they had entered the dimension. The thrill and beauty of the Zoni Dimension had distracted them so much that they had actually forgotten it and had left it behind. Though it would have been difficult to carry around and the Zoni did lead them away in a rush. Still, Clank scolded him slightly about taking better care of such a precious device. Orvus told them that the device wasn't in danger of being taken anyway, as the Zoni had no need for a device that could perform something that they could do on their own.

With the Dimensionator recovered, Clank climbed up onto his hex mount as Ratchet put the large device on his head. Orvus had a solemn look on his face as his eyes reflected the dimension he had called home for the past five years. He hadn't even left and he was already beginning to feel nostalgic about it. He knew that he couldn't stay forever, but he didn't expect to be leaving already. Deep down, he still didn't feel like he was ready. But if Ratchet and Clank said that he was, then that must have meant something.

Taking a deep breath, Orvus stood next to Ratchet, who grabbed onto his arm and activated the Dimensionator. Orvus watched in amazement as the device did its work, filling the air with static electricity and ripping a hole in reality to the other dimension. All three of them were pulled into the wormhole and came out on the other side with a less than graceful landing. Ratchet landed on his rear and Clank popped off the mount and fell flat on his face while Orvus was ripped from Ratchet's grip and thrown several feet away, landing on his side and skidding across the ground.

"Ugh...I was thinking we would get used to it after a few times. I was wrong," Ratchet said, undoing the head strap and setting the Dimensionator to his side.

"Indeed," was all Clank had to add to that statement.

Orvus pushed himself off the ground and rubbed his arm, which had absorbed some of the impact of his fall. He rubbed his eyes and brushed the dirt off of himself, finally managing to stand up after the pain went away. But when the pain did go away, he found himself being overcome with a different feeling. One that was much more pleasant. He felt...warm. A nice kind of warm. The Zoni looked up but shielded his eyes and he realized that it was a bright and sunny day. The sun...he hadn't seen it in years. And even then, it never felt this nice. And neither did the breeze that was flowing through his cape. He took a deep breath, taking in his first dose of fresh air. So this was what it was like to experience a nice day outside. The Zoni Dimension was a nice place, of course, but it didn't feel this...refreshing. Orvus closed his eyes as another breeze came through. This was something truly special.

After seeing Orvus' reaction to finally exiting the Zoni Dimension, Ratchet walked up and patted him on the back, "Welcome to Veldin. It's not much, but it's what we call home. When we're in Solana, anyway."

"I think it's wonderful," Orvus said with sincerity, expressing great joy in truly feeling the warmth of the sun. He supposed that if simply feeling the sun's rays was this wonderful, then being organic wasn't all that bad. However, his joy faded away when he remembered the Great Clock and the lack of sunlight it received. Orvus took a deep breath and ran a hand across his head, getting back on track. He couldn't let himself get distracted. "But, as pleasant as this is, I do have a duty that I must uphold. If your ship is ready, please take me to the Great Clock."

"You want to leave for the Clock right now?" Clank said, genuinely surprised. He knew that his father essentially signed his life away for the Great Clock, but wanting to go back so quickly...it didn't sit right with Clank. After all they just went through and Orvus was already trying to go back to work? He looked at Orvus with pleading eyes. "As much as I respect your dedication, father, I did not think...I was hoping we could…are you sure you want to go right this moment?"

The elder Zoni lowered himself to his son's level and placed a hand on his head, picking up on Clank's wishes to spend time with him. It wasn't that Orvus didn't feel the same way, quite the opposite recently, but some things required priority, even if giving those things a priority over spending time with his son pained him. "I must. You know as well as I do that I have a role to fulfill there. A role that I have been selfishly neglecting for five years."

"Well, I wouldn't say selfishly. And Clank's got a point. You literally just got here after five years of change and isolation. Don't you think you should take it easy for a bit? Even for just a day or two?" Ratchet said, taking Clank's side of the argument. "Look, I know you've been away from your job for a while and you want to get back to it, but there's no need to rush. When was the last time you spent time out of the Clock?"

"When I went to Zanifar and was imprisoned and tortured," Orvus said, him and Clank giving Ratchet the same unamused look.

The Lombax was sweating nervously under his fur and tried to go for a rebound on his point. "...Okay, when was the last time you spent time out of the Clock _and actually had a good time?"_

The Zoni hummed in thought as he recalled every moment he spent outside of the Clock. "Oh, um...never, actually. Every time I traveled somewhere it was strictly for business. Or to fix something terrible."

"Exactly. You've been dealing with a lot of stressful things for way too long. Just spend one day here with us. Then we'll take you to the Great Clock first thing tomorrow morning. What do you say?"

Orvus' antennae lowered slightly as he saw the look of hope in both Ratchet and Clank's eyes. He stood up and pointed at Ratchet, "You swear you will take me to the Clock tomorrow? Without trying to talk me out of it?"

"I swear it on my pilot's license." Ratchet felt his nervous sweat again as he received a second dose of unamused looks from Orvus and Clank. "Okay, I swear it on my _theoretical_ pilot's license."

The elder Zoni sighed and rubbed the side of his head, announcing his decision, "Very well. I shall spend the day here."

As his tail twitched, Ratchet placed a happy hand on Orvus' shoulder and smiled. "Great! We'll show you around, chill out, and Clank can make dinner! He's a great cook, by the way."

Clank gasped and was suddenly very excited and giddy, "I will make a stew!"

Orvus smiled softly at his son's enthusiasm, "I look forward to it."

"You're not the only one." Ratchet said, dreaming about his tasty dinner. "Hey, the Kyzil Plateau market is still open. We can show you around there as Clank gets some fresh ingredients."

"Hmm...it is not that I do not like the idea, but why would you show me a market before showing me the sights Veldin has to offer?"

"Well, truth is, in terms of sights, Veldin is a bit…" the three looked over the barren wasteland that was Veldin, "lacking."

"Veldin is a backwater planet that is not popular among tourists. I am sorry to say that there is honestly not much to see," Clank stated, having to agree with Ratchet.

"There's basically just a lot of...canyons...and sand. But hey, lots of fresh air and sun."

Orvus' antennae dropped a bit. "Oh...yes, perhaps the market is the better choice."

"It really is. Let's get going." Ratchet gestured for Clank and Orvus to follow him, but they had only taken a few steps when Orvus suddenly yelped in pain as he stepped barefoot on a rock. As he held his injured foot, Ratchet gave him a late warning. "Oh, yeah, there's also some pointy rocks here and there. I'll uh...I'll run inside and get you some shoes."

Soon wearing a spare pair of Ratchet's shoes, which were a bit big on him, Orvus followed Ratchet and Clank into the town that was seen in the distance from Ratchet's garage. The chatter in the market was plentiful but not loud. Stands were lined up one-by-one with locals selling their crafts and food. Orvus couldn't help but smile while looking at all of the homemade goods, as he had a soft spot for things created by hand. It just meant that there was plenty of love and soul in each craft.

One thing Orvus noticed about the crowd was that there were a lot of Tharpods in the mix. There were other species and even robots, of course, but Tharpods seem to take up a good chunk of the crowd.

"I did not know that Veldin had a large Tharpod population," Orvus said, looking around more.

"Ever since we stopped Ephemeris, a lot of Tharpods were able to come out of hiding. Some stayed to rebuild their home planet, but a lot of them moved on to different planets to rebuild their life in general. Veldin was a popular choice since it's usually so quiet here," Ratchet said, trying to find their intended stand destination.

"I think it is wonderful that Tharpods are flourishing here. And they make such wonderful blankets and garb," Clank added.

"You do not use either of those, son…" The Zoni said, raising a "brow".

"I am aware. But I still think they are wonderful."

Orvus chuckled a bit at that. At least he knew for certain that his son was a robot of culture, which was something they had in common. Orvus did like diving into the interests and crafts of other species. That kind of interest is what led him into looking into the Fongoid race. Though that whole event was something that he tried not to think about too much. That story was more painful than pleasant, even after all these years.

The trio arrived at the produce stand, where an elderly Tharpod farmer was selling his best crops. Clank was quick to seek out the ingredients he needed to make the stew he had in mind. He began looking at the carrots and tried analyzing each one to decide which one would be the best. Ratchet was about to tell Clank to just pick one, as it wasn't exactly science, but he refrained from doing so when Orvus joined Clank and they looked at the carrots together. Orvus talked about his experience with picking out good produce as he had been living off the Zoni fruit, so they could decide on the best one together. Ratchet simply smiled and stood back, letting the two have their time together. This was exactly what he wanted to happen. It had been a long time since he had seen Clank so happy.

It took awhile for the two to pick out the right carrots, potatoes, and celery, but they were eventually happy with their decisions and Ratchet, though he was bored, happily thanked them and paid for the produce. And, after some brief window shopping (even though there were no windows in the first place), the trio left the market and journeyed back to the garage, where Orvus was finally able to explore the interior of.

"So this is where you have lived for most of your life," Orvus said, looking up and around the place.

"Yeah. Like Veldin itself, it's not much, but it's home," Ratchet said, feeling a little self-conscious about what Orvus would think about the place.

"And like Veldin, I think it's wonderful."

The Lombax felt relieved that Orvus liked the place. He then walked behind the staircase, "Come over here, you need to see this."

Orvus, naturally curious, quickly followed Ratchet. Clank, who was putting the groceries in the kitchen, watched them walk away and knew exactly what Ratchet was going to show his father, so he quickly followed as well.

Ratchet led Orvus into the hidden area in the junk crates, making sure that he could fit his way inside Clank's secret work area. Orvus tilted his head at the small opening. Ratchet nodded, "This is where Clank originally kept the Dimensionator. For weeks he worked on it in secret, fixing it so that one day he could find you."

"What is with the Christmas lights?" The Zoni inquired.

"You need lights in order to work properly," Ratchet said.

"Honestly, it is more of an aesthetic thing," Clank said, popping into the work area to justify himself.

"My boy, making his own secret work area for the sake of science...and for me." Orvus said, his voice dripping with pride. He smiled at his son, a warm feeling growing in his head, "Thank you for working so hard to find me, son. I'm so proud of you."

Clank had to take a moment after that. He had heard Orvus say he was proud of him before from the program in his subconscious, but hearing it come from the real Orvus in person was so much more impactful. He stuttered before trying to look professional again. "O-Of course, father. Thank you."

Orvus appreciated his son's attempts at appearing professional, but he honestly wished that Clank wasn't so nervous. Perhaps they needed to unwind and have a chat. He took his son by the hand and, followed by Ratchet, walked out of the hidden area. "Come. I will help you prepare your stew. I do not know what needs to be done, so I will follow your lead."

Orvus and Clank eagerly went into the kitchen and unloaded all they would need to make dinner. Ratchet took a seat at the kitchen table and pulled out his communicator, checking his messages. His ears dropped as he found out that there were no new messages or voicemails. It looked like Talwyn had yet to get back to him. He really hoped that she was okay. Ratchet remembered that they were going to the Great Clock tomorrow, so they would be very close to the Polaris Galaxy. Meaning that he could drop by and visit Talwyn if he wanted to. But part of him told him to restrain himself, as she was most likely very busy and would not have time for visitors.

Ratchet snapped out of his sad thoughts at the sound of laughter, which had come from Clank and Orvus during their conversation. Hesitating for a moment, Ratchet put his communicator down and watched the two. As much as he missed and was worried for Talwyn, there was something much more important going on. An observation he had made earlier was that Clank looked happier than he had been in the past few years. While that was still true, something about Orvus seemed to have brightened. When they met back in the Zoni Dimension, the Zoni had looked pale, scared, tired. After being brought outside and spending some time in the fresh air with his son, Orvus seemed to have relaxed by quite a bit. The pink coloration had really returned to his face and he seemed much more lively. Ratchet knew he did the right thing by convincing Orvus to come with them. But while Orvus was happy today, the stress of tomorrow might be his downfall. Still, with how he was now, Ratchet was happy for him.

Waiting for what felt like an eternity and being teased by the delicious smell of beef stew, Ratchet was relieved when Orvus poured two bowls of stew and helped Clank carry what they needed to the table.

Ratchet's tail twitched as he felt the emptiness in his stomach, "Finally. I'm glad you guys had fun, but I've never felt so impatient for food."

He reached for one of the bowls Orvus was carrying, only for Orvus to keep it out of his reach. The Zoni shook his head, "Not so fast. Did you wash your hands?"

Ratchet raised a brow, "Uh...no. I'm wearing gloves."

"Then remove your gloves and go wash your hands. It is the sanitary thing to do. I've learned that sanitation is very important ever since I became an organic. Your food will be waiting when you get back," the Zoni said matter-of-factly, much like Clank would.

"Who do you think you are, my father-" Ratchet looked between Orvus and Clank, remembering just what Orvus was. "...Oh. Fine, I'll be back."

Ratchet went off to the bathroom and washed his hands the best he could. He definitely didn't expect that to happen. Though he supposed that it was bound to happen eventually. After all, Orvus was a father who had a son, and Ratchet was a young man who didn't have parents. Maybe Orvus was unintentionally trying to fill that role? Though it was most likely just his father instincts kicking in. As much as it kind of annoyed Ratchet, deep down it was...nice to be given a father-like order? He honestly didn't know how to explain it.

When Ratchet came out of the bathroom, he saw that his bowl, napkins, and glass of water were already set up for him. Meanwhile, Clank was watching his father closely as he ate, with a nervous look on his face, despite Orvus eating the stew already. Orvus glanced at his son and gave him a pity smile.

"Clank, I told you, the stew is delicious. It is a nice departure from my diet for the last five years. There is no need to be nervous about my thoughts anymore. You did very good."

_"We_ did very good," Clank stated, not wanting to take all the credit.

Orvus let out a small breathy laugh as he nodded, "That's right."

Ratchet at first wanted to make a sarcastic big deal about washing his hands, but he didn't have the heart to ruin this moment. Instead he merely sat down and ate his food. It was a nice dinner, with him and Orvus chit-chatting about life on Veldin, all while Clank pulled out a tablet and started tapping on it, putting in some sort of info.

Ratchet and Orvus let out pleased sighs as they now had empty bowls, their stomachs filled with beef stew. "I could not have asked for a better home cooked meal after all of these years."

"Yeah, Clank really is an amazing cook," Ratchet agreed, finishing off his water.

"Perhaps I could try your cooking next time, Ratchet."

"Eh, mine isn't nearly as good as Clank's. It's either good or horrible, there's really no in between."

Orvus shrugged, thinking that Ratchet was merely being harsh on himself. After finishing his own water, he looked over at Clank, who appeared to be busy with the tablet. He tilted his head a bit as he tried to get a look at what was on the screen. "What are you doing, son?"

Clank stopped tapping on the tablet and looked up at his father. "Oh, I have taken the liberty of logging the notes that were in the research files for your organic body. I was not doing anything else, after all."

The Zoni's eye went wide as Clank went back to logging the notes. "You...you are doing _what now?_ "

"As I said, logging the notes you wrote about your observations on your new organic body. I have not started reading them, but I bet there is some great information that-oh!" Clank was interrupted by the tablet suddenly being taken away.

Orvus held the tablet close and stood up, taking a step back. He seemed visibly nervous about something. "I'm very flattered that you would do that for me, but I think I will log them myself. So please refrain from burdening yourself with this information that you do not have to deal with."

Ratchet narrowed his eyes, finding Orvus' behavior suspicious. "Why don't you want him to log it?"

"Eh, well...it is just...not his responsibility, that's all."

"If you say so...whoa, Orvus, check that out!" The Lombax suddenly blurted out, pointing at something behind Orvus. Orvus turned his head and tried to find what Ratchet was talking about, only for the tablet in his hands to be snatched away. He gasped as Ratchet started looking over the notes. "Alright, let's take a look here. 'Personal Organic Body Observations'."

"Ratchet, you give that back right this instant!" Orvus demanded, walking over to him.

"Not now, I'm reading. For, like, science and junk. Let's see here. 'Five foot, four inches for height, ninety-five pounds for weight, light snoring, _sensitive antennae-"_ Ratchet put a hand on Orvus' chest and pushed him back to keep him an arm's length away, smiling mischievously the whole time. "Yeah, this is a good list, think I'm just gonna download it and make it my screensaver."

"You will do no such thing!" The elder Zoni said, trying his best to grab the tablet. He looked over at his son, who was trying his best to not find the situation even slightly amusing. "Clank, please control your friend!"

At that command, Clank snapped into serious mode and scolded the Lombax for his behavior. "Ratchet, you are being a very rude host. It is not nice to tease someone about their personal information."

Ratchet smiled as he kept Orvus back. "I'm just having a bit of fun, that's all."

The robot stood up and folded his arms, thinking of a way to get back at his misbehaving friend. "Oh? Is it fun? Then I suppose it will be fun when I tell my father that you drool in your sleep. And it will be even more fun when I let it slip that you purr when you are around Miss Apo-"

Ratchet's eyes went wide as he heard Orvus chuckle at those facts about him. He quickly stopped pushing Orvus away and held out the tablet. "Alright, alright! I'll stop! Here."

"Thank you." Orvus said, taking the tablet back. He placed a hand on his waist and narrowed his eyes. "I do hope you learned a lesson from this...heheh, perhaps you will even _purr_ as you think about it."

Not taking that comment lightly, Ratchet came back at Orvus by shrugging his shoulders and recalling something he had read in the notes, "I don't know if I learned a lesson, but I did learn from the list that you're _ticklish."_

It took a whole second for Orvus' face to become red with embarrassment and he quickly snapped at the Lombax. "Silence yourself!"

Ratchet proceeded to laugh at the look on Orvus' face. Clank decided to intervene, but he was still on Orvus' side. "Do not fret about that, father. That is more normal than Ratchet's love of having his head stroked. Preferably by-"

"Okay! I'm sorry that I made fun of your personal notes." Ratchet said, throwing his hands up in the air, making Clank stop.

"I forgive you…" Orvus said, placing a hand on Ratchet's shoulder. A smug smile then grew on his face as he looked at Clank. "Now tell me more about who he likes having his head stroked by."

_"HEY!"_

After an evening of fun and playful banter, the sun finally set and the sky became littered with stars as nighttime finally came. The garage had become a bit darker, with some of the overhead lights lighting most of it up. While the trio had fun talking and messing with each other, it was abundantly clear that all three of them were exhausted. They had had a long day of interdimensional traveling. Ratchet broke off from the group to go upstairs and set up a place for Orvus to sleep while Clank and Orvus stayed downstairs to tidy up and take care of everything before they went to bed.

Clank handed Orvus dishes which he cleaned thoroughly and put on the dish rack. He waited for Clank to give him the last of the dishes, but he turned around when he heard Clank say, "Oh my. Not again."

Orvus quickly put down the dishcloth and rushed over to his son to see if anything was wrong, but eased up when he just saw a glowing green creature scampering around the front of the garage. He tilted his head in confusion, "Is that a Heliogrub?"

Clank nodded, keeping an eye on the creature, "Yes. They are migrating at this time of year and the garage is very close to the migration path, so one tends to wander in here every so often."

"How humorous," Orvus said, smiling. He walked over to the creature and kneeled down. It seemed to be a bit skittish as it was very nervous by such a big and close presence. Orvus shook his hand and innocently raised his hands, "Oh no no, do not worry. I am not going to hurt you. You do not have to be afraid of me. In fact, we are rather similar."

Orvus lowered his hood and pulled up his sleeves and pant legs, revealing a turquoise oval ring marking on his forehead, the back of his head, and markings that appeared like bands on his wrists and above his ankles, similar to the ones on his antennae. He smiled at the Heliogrub as his eyes, markings and tips of his antennae became illuminated, giving off a soft turquoise light. The creature seemed surprised at this but it quickly calmed down, lighting itself up with a bright green light.

"Incredible…" Clank muttered.

"What is?" Ratchet asked, coming down the stairs. But he understood once he saw Orvus. "Whoa...you can glow?"

"All Zoni can illuminate their markings. It is the only thing I managed to keep when I underwent this transformation. It is better than nothing, I suppose." Orvus picked up the Heliogrub and brought it to the entrance of the garage, letting it safely scamper outside.

Ratchet hit the button to close the garage door so nothing else could get in. When he looked at Orvus, he noticed a large ring of light shining through Orvus' shirt around his stomach. "Looks like you've got one on your torso, too."

Orvus nodded, "I had all of these markings when I was in my original form. They simply grew with me."

Turning off his illumination, Orvus followed the duo upstairs so he could go to bed. He was a bit winded after climbing the stairs, as he had never climbed stairs before. They were harder to climb than he thought. But he recovered once he saw his bed. Though it wasn't actually a bed, it was a sleeping hammock that Ratchet had hung from the ceiling.

"We don't have a guest bed so I made you a guest hammock," Ratchet said, sitting on his own bed.

Orvus tilted his head and approached the hammock, concerned with how unsturdy it was. Removing his shoes and readying himself, he attempted to get up onto the hammock, only to lose his balance and fall out of it immediately. But he wanted to quickly diminish any worry, "I am okay!"

"Perhaps you and Ratchet should switch…" Clank said, already comfortably sitting on the table with his charging port.

"No, no, I can handle this. Let me just…" He was unsteady at first, but Orvus fell onto his back into the hammock, which was making him paranoid by swinging. But once it settled, he settled. He then removed his cloak and covered himself with it like a blanket. "There we go."

Ratchet slipped under the covers of his own bed, but he wasn;t quite ready to go to sleep. Instead he folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. "So, today was...interesting."

"If that is not the understatement of the day," Orvus said, getting comfortable.

"It was rather unorthodox for all of us," Clank added.

The elder Zoni thought about the upcoming events, "Thankfully, things will attempt to go back to normal tomorrow. I will be back at the Great Clock to do the job I pledged to do."

Ratchet's brow furrowed as something about Orvus' determination to go back to the Clock somehow didn't sit right with him. He decided to speak up about it, "You know, I'm actually surprised you still want to go back to the Clock so badly, Orvus. You looked so happy today."

"As much as I enjoyed today, I cannot stay away from my responsibility for any longer."

"Yeah, I get that. I know that it's your facility and you protected it for a long time, but...I dunno, don't you think you should give yourself a rest? It really feels like you've done your part. Maybe you should consider, like, retiring or something? Do caretakers retire?"

Orvus hesitated before simply answering, "No. No they do not."

"Right...sorry about what I said. You probably don't need anything else on your mind right now. We'll take you to the Clock in the morning and that'll be that, so look forward to it. Alright, goodnight, guys." Ratchet rolled over and grasped his comforter, something about this still not seeming right to him. Maybe he would shake it off in the morning.

Meanwhile, Orvus stared out the side of the garage, looking at all the stars and processing what Ratchet said. It was true that he had done more than he ever needed to do for the Clock, so he should not be forcing himself to go back, but he knew that he had no choice. Still, he wanted to hold the joy of this day close to his heart. There was something important about how he felt today.

For the past five years, the Zoni had been staring at him like he was some sort of freak. He was different among them. They couldn't speak to him through the hivemind and they had watched over him like he was some strange anomaly. They saw him like the way he felt: different. But today, he actually felt something that he had been longing to feel for the past five years. No one stared at him or questioned him, Ratchet and Clank talked to him, teased him, messed with him over silly stuff...it all made him feel normal. Orvus had never fit in this well before. He actually felt like a person. And he honestly wished he could go on living like this, even in this terrible organic form.

However, there were more important things at stake. The Clock was waiting for him. And as much as it pained him to walk away from this lifestyle, from spending time with Ratchet & Clank, he knew what had to be done.

The stars became blurry as his consciousness faded away, Orvus fell asleep, his feelings as mixed as ever.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**I did not expect a filler chapter of all things to be the longest chapter so far. I guess they are kind of the most fun to work with. Ah, it is what it is.**

**But next chapter we're going to the Great Clock! That'll definitely be interesting.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	7. A Timely Reunion

The trio rose early the next morning, as they had a very long trip to take. Clank had set an internal alarm and proceeded to wake up his sleepy organic companions. Ratchet took a moment to stretch and yawn, but Orvus got out of his hammock immediately, though that was due to him falling out of it.

After a hearty leftover beef stew breakfast, the three did their preparations, mostly including the showers that needed to be taken. When everything was ready, they loaded up into Aphelion who was patiently waiting on the landing platform outside. There was a slight problem as the ship only had to seats. Orvus made a quick fix though, as he took Clank's seat and merely let the robot sit in his lap, with his arms acting as a seatbelt. Before they left, Clank sent Sigmund a message saying that they were coming for a visit and that they had a surprise for him.

It was a long but nice journey. It had been ages since Orvus had seen the wonders of the cosmos. Some of the planets they passed by he gave either a fun fact about or a story he had about it. Clank found every bit of it fascinating. Ratchet found it to be a bit boring and nerdy, but he was enjoying the fact that Orvus was enjoying himself. The joy didn't last the whole trip though, as Orvus could feel his emotions getting to him as they came closer to the Clock. Even after all the support, the thought of seeing Sigmund again while he was liked this was freaking him out a bit.

A few minutes after Orvus' internal mood shift, Ratchet checked the ship's map and took note of their current coordinates. He glanced at Orvus. "We'll be arriving at the Clock in a few minutes. How do you feel?"

"Fine," Orvus said flatly, tightening his grip on Clank upon hearing that they were mere minutes away from their destination.

Clank noticed his father's tense grip and patted him on the arm, "It is alright to be a little nervous, father."

"I am not a little nervous." The Zoni looked out the window only to be met with a reflection of himself. He frowned as he looked at his organic face. "I am _very_ nervous."

"I know you're worried about seeing Sigmund after all these years, but you just need to relax a little. Just be yourself and I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Ratchet is right. You have known him longer than either of us. So you should know that your appearance will not matter and he will simply be happy to see you."

"I do know that...I hope."

The next few minutes were spent in silence. When they finally reached the Clock, Orvus took a moment to look at his old creation and lifelong commitment. Even after living in it for thousands of years, its beauty still amazed him. It never failed to, really. His large turquoise eyes shined with wonder for one moment, but he immediately looked away the next when he saw a familiar red robot waiting for them at the landing pad.

Sigmund was waving at them with one hand while holding the Chronoscepter in the other, wondering just what kind of surprise Ratchet & Clank had for him. He hoped that it was a good one. The robot took a few floating paces back as the ship landed.

"Alright, big moment," Ratchet muttered to the others, opening the cockpit and hopping out.

"You will do just fine," Clank said, giving Orvus' arm one more supportive pat before getting out of the ship himself. He dropped down from the wing and eagerly greeted his old friend. "Hello, Sigmund."

"Hey, sir! I got your message. I don't really get visitors, much less surprises, so I'm curious about what you have for me. Oh, hi, Ratchet," Sigmund said as Ratchet approached him.

Ratchet smiled and raised a brow, "What, I don't get a 'sir'?"

"Be a great and powerful Zoni, or said Zoni's son, then we'll talk."

The Lombax shrugged, "Ah, well…"

As the three conversed, Orvus slowly got out of the ship. First, he peeked over to see what the three were doing, then he carefully climbed up his seat and onto the wing where he slowly slid down. He then stood nervously in front of the ship, not wanting to make another move.

After some brief chit-chat, Sigmund finally inquired about what Clank had messaged him about. "So what's this surprise that you-"

His words stopped dead in their tracks as he caught sight of the person in the distance. Ratchet and Clank looked at each other then back at Orvus, both excited and nervous about this reunion. Sigmund wasn't saying anything, though. Orvus had to make the first move.

"Hello, Sigmund…" Orvus said shyly. He offered a sad smile, "Forgive me for being late."

Sigmund did not respond. Instead, he simply gave the Chronoscepter to Clank and slowly floated forward. Clank looked quizzically at Ratchet before tilting his head. "Sigmund?"

Orvus' sad smile quickly went away as he felt his anxiety rising. "I...Sigmund, listen, I know that my foolish mistakes led to you being left alone for a long time. But some things happened that I needed to stay away for. I made a promise to always be in the Clock with you, and I broke it, but...but..." The lack of a response from Sigmund was getting to him. He shook his head, grasping his cloak tightly and nearly on the verge of tears. "Sigmund, I...look, _I'm sorry-!"_

The moment he was close enough, Sigmund quickly pulled Orvus into a hug, the tone of his voice indicating that he could not be happier. "Orvus, sir! You're alive! I can't believe it!"

The elder Zoni was surprised at this reaction. He had almost certainly expected Sigmund to be upset with him. Honestly, he didn't know how to react. He was happy, but surprised. "Eh...y-yes...I am alive."

"Sir, you would not _believe_ everything that's happened here! But I did my job as a Senior Caretaker and-oh! I'm a Senior Caretaker now, by the way! Clank promoted me! Ah, but who cares about that? You're home!"

Orvus wheezed a bit as Sigmund's hug was getting a little too tight. "Sigmund, not that I am not enjoying this, but you are crushing me…"

"Oh goodness, I am so, so sorry, sir!" The robot said, taking him out of the hug but still holding him by the torso. He raised a mechanical brow as he observed Orvus' different clothing. "Hey, wait a minute...where's your metal suit?" He got even more confused when he started squeezing Orvus' sides. "And why are you so...squishy?"

Orvus snorted as Sigmund squeezing his sides induced laughter from him, but he managed to quickly snap out of it and remove Sigmund's hands from him, "Stop that!"

Clank hit Ratchet on the leg as the Lombax tried to hold in his own laughter.

Sigmund kept his hands to himself backed up, looking between the trio, finding everything about the situation confusing. "You left to meet a scientist on Zanifar and now you come back five years later like this. What's going on here?"

Clank stepped forward, "It is a long story. Father, would you like to…?"

All eyes were on Orvus now. He looked between his three friends and sighed while rubbing the back of his neck, mentally preparing himself to retell that horrific tale. "I'm going to need some tea."

The four ventured to the only place with actual seating: the Orientation Room. Without his connection to the hivemind, Orvus had to ask Sigmund and Clank to summon some Zoni. He didn't even know if the Zoni here recognized him. When the Zoni did arrive with a fresh pot of tea and cups, they did look at him like he was a stranger. The looks they gave him when he did reveal who he was, along with Ratchet, Clank and Sigmund's confirmation, weren't exactly any better. They were just like the looks he got back in the Zoni Dimension.

Orvus poured himself and Ratchet a cup of tea, as they were the only ones who could actually drink it. He got comfortable and let the tea calm him before he could bring himself to tell the story of his transformation again. While they had heard the story before, Ratchet and Clank listened closely, as the tale still amazed them. Sigmund reacted mostly with gasps and panicked comments, finding great horror in what his friend had been through. All this time he had thought that Orvus was dead, killed at the hands of Nefarious, but this was something he couldn't even imagine. Still, Orvus managed to defy death via his own programming skills. The elder Zoni may have been in a different form, but Sigmund still knew that he really was brilliant.

"I was going about my day as normal when Ratchet and Clank arrived at my hut. They convinced me to leave and...well, here we are," Orvus said, putting his now empty cup of tea on the little plate he was holding.

Sigmund fidgeted with his screen, holding it tightly as he thought of everything Orvus had been through for the past five years. "Gosh, that's...that's horrible, sir. Like, your program worked, but that's a heavy price to pay."

"Indeed. If Ratchet and Clank hadn't arrived and convinced me to come back, who knows how long I would have lived the Zoni Dimension out of shame."

"Father has been experiencing many conflicting feelings during this time. He was incredibly nervous about coming here and seeing you again," Clank said to Sigmund.

"You did not have to tell him that!" The Zoni said, his antennae drooping.

"He totally was, though," Ratchet added. He got a fierce look from Orvus and he cleared his throat, "I-I mean, um...can I have more tea, please?"

Orvus narrowed his eyes, _"You know where the teapot is."_

Clank decided to put the story on a more positive note as Ratchet poured himself more tea, "But he did have a nice time spending the day on Veldin. Right, father?"

Orvus stopped glaring at Ratchet and put on a more gentle face, "Of course I did. After everything that happened, I needed a good day."

"And we wanted to give you one," Ratchet said, sitting back with his new cup of tea.

"I know. And I could not be more grateful for what you two have done for me," the Zoni said, smiling fondly at Ratchet & Clank.

Sigmund noticed something about that smile. He took a moment to think about and then prepared to say something, but it was interrupted by the sound of a communicator going off. Everyone looked around before Ratchet's ears twitched and he pulled his communicator out of his pocket. He gasped as his eyes went wide.

"It's Talwyn. Everyone, hush." The three nodded and Ratchet took a deep breath before answering his communicator. "Uh, hey Tal, what's up?"

Talwyn's voice came from the speaker, the sound of it already putting Ratchet at ease. "Ratchet? Good, I managed to get a hold of you. Is Clank with you?"

"Clank? Yeah, he's right here."

Clank smiled and waved, "Hello, Miss Apogee."

Ratchet smiled as Orvus chuckled at that. "Clank says hi."

"Alright, perfect. Look, I got your message about being willing to help us with the missing people's case. We're going to take you up on that offer."

The Lombax's eyes went a bit wide as he sat up straight. "Wha-really? It's gotten that bad?"

"Yes, really. You know I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't necessary. And I know that the trek from Solana to Polaris is long, but-"

"Oh no no, we're actually near Polaris right now."

Talwyn was rather surprised at hearing this fact. "Wait, what? I thought you were taking time off back in Solana? What are doing so close to Polaris?"

"Eh, it's uhhh…" Ratchet looked between the three people he was sitting with, not quite sure how to briefly describe what was happening. "Family stuff."

"Family stuff?"

"I'll tell you about it later. When do you want us there?"

"Well, if you're that close to Polaris, as soon as possible."

The Lombax's ears dropped. He glanced at Orvus, who wasn't liking the look on his face. "As...soon as possible?"

"Yes. We're going to be holding a briefing on our latest leads and it would be best if you were there for it."

He paused before restraining a sigh and agreeing. "Yeah, okay...we can do that. We'll be there."

"Great. I'll send you the Nebulox Eight's coordinates. Thank you, Ratchet, really. Not just for doing this, but for, you know...checking in with me. Oh, I have something I need to go take care of. I'll see you soon. And tell Clank I said hi back," Talwyn said softly.

"Yeah...see you soon…"

Ratchet hung up on the communicator and put his hands on his lap. Clank tilted his head, "Ratchet? What was that about?"

The Lombax put his cup of tea down and got off the futon. "Talwyn says hi back. And...we need to go."

"Go?" Clank and Orvus said in unison.

"She says that she needs us to come to the Nebulox Eight."

Clank couldn't understand the urgency, as Talwyn was the most supportive of them going back to Solana to rest. "But Miss Apogee knows that we are taking time off."

"The case with all those missing people is getting worse, apparently. They need us. And they're having a briefing soon that Tal wants us to be at."

"Missing people? I heard about it, but I didn't think it was getting that bad," Sigmund said, showing worry.

Orvus had a look of shock on his face, his antennae drooping more. He felt a small pain in his chest, "So, you are leaving right now?"

Ratchet frowned at the Zoni's face and shrugged, "I'm sorry, Orvus, but we have to. Duty calls."

Clank got down onto the floor and looked up at his father, his eyes narrowing into a sad position. He opened his arms slightly for a hug, "So...I suppose that this is goodbye for now."

Orvus didn't move. He just had a distraught look on his face. He didn't do anything until Sigmund's voice snapped him out of it. "Orvus, sir?"

The Zoni shook his head and looked at Sigmund before looking down at his son, who was trying to say goodbye. He nodded, "R-Right, of course…"

Orvus got down onto the floor and took Clank into his arms, holding him close. The robot embraced him, "So long, father."

"So long…"

The two separated and Orvus stood back up. Ratchet walked over to him and patted him on the back before placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll visit. I promise."

"Yes. I hope you do."

Ratchet nodded, removing his hand from Orvus and signalling Clank to come with him. "Come on, pal. See you, Sigmund."

"See you later. Be safe!" Sigmund said, waving to the two before they left the Orientation Room.

Orvus stayed still, standing in the same spot without moving or speaking. He watched Ratchet and Clank through the glass doors, walking away until they were no longer visible. Something was stirring inside of him. Something painful and depressing. There was something about watching those two leave that upset him. It was natural to be upset when friends leave, but he didn't expect to be this upset. Orvus couldn't explain it, but when he was around Ratchet and Clank, he felt something very special. He felt..happy? No, that word didn't even begin to describe it. Spending time with them gave him the same feeling as when he had stepped into the sun and felt the breeze for the first time.

Orvus looked around the room, at the all too familiar Great Clock that had been his duty for most of his life. He had put every bit of heart and soul he had into this place. Why then...why wasn't he happy to be here? Why wasn't he ready to go back to being a caretaker? His destiny and life were tied to this place whether he liked it or not. Why was every ounce of him screaming at him to loosen or even cut those ties? Why did he want to leave?

Deep down, Orvus knew exactly what he was thinking. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was clawing its way out of his subconscious like a Terratrope. After everything he had told himself, after everything he promised, the thing that he wanted most had nothing to do with the Great Clock. The complete and honest truth was he didn't want to be here. He wanted to be with Ratchet & Clank. In the short amount of time he spent with them, they made him feel like the most normal yet special Zoni in the universe. Now that they were leaving, it was like he was back in the Zoni Dimension. Despite everything he believed in and everything he vowed to do, he had to get out of there. He had to go be with them again.

"I...I can't do this…" Orvus said, putting his hands on his head, fighting with every emotion he was feeling. His breathing got fast as he turned to Sigmund and shook his head. "Sigmund, I-this is going to be very selfish of me, but I need-I have to...Sigmund-"

Without warning, Sigmund grabbed Orvus' shoulders and shook him slightly, "What are you standing around for?! If you don't hurry, they're going to leave without you!"

Orvus' eyes went wide. Did Sigmund really just say that? "Wha...you...you _want_ me to leave?"

"Yes-I mean, no! Not like that! Not like the kind of 'I want you to leave' in which I don't want to see you. I mean I want you to go with Ratchet & Clank because you want to."

"How do you know that?"

"Sir, I have known you for over a thousand years. And when you were talking with those two, you had a look of happiness that I've never seen on you before. You don't want to be here, you want to be with them and spend time with them. And I think you should!" He took his hands off of Orvus and decided to be honest with the situation, "Plus, if we're gonna be honest, this place was _not_ meant to house an organic like yourself."

"Hmph." Orvus crossed his arms and huffed at that comment.

Sigmund put his hands partially in the air, "Not that being an organic is a bad thing! Anyway, this is mainly about your happiness. You've spent thousands of years with me and only one day with them. I think it's their turn now. You know, just to be fair."

"Sigmund…" Orvus muttered, hi antennae lowering again. This time he was the one who pulled the robot into a hug. "Thank you. Please take care."

"Ah, don't mention it," Sigmund said, giving Orvus a pat on the back. But he quickly separated them and pointed towards the door. "Now go on, you have a ship to catch! Run! _RUN!"_

"O-Okay!" Orvus said, stumbling before getting into a good run. He looked over his shoulder as he ran out the door. "Farewell, Sigmund!"

"Farewell, sir. Be safe," the robot said, holding the Chronoscepter close.

In the Aphelion, Ratchet and Clank got into their seats as Ratchet turned the engine on and the ship whirred to life. He checked the ship's message log and saw the promised coordinates of the Polaris Defense Force's starship.

"Tal sent us the coordinates. Looks like the Nebulox Eight is stationed over Igliak right now." Ratchet looked over at Clank, who was looking slightly downward. He frowned and got his attention. "Hey. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, you know."

Clank shook his head. "Miss Apogee asked for both of us. I cannot stay behind."

"Alright. But we'll come back here soon. I promised that to Orvus, after all. Now let's hurry up to Igliak before the briefing starts."

The cockpit of the Aphelion closed as it got ready for take off. Orvus was running as fast as his legs possibly could, getting onto the docking platform right as the Aphelion started to take off. It was already several feet off the ground. Orvus' eyes went wide as he realized that he might be too late. As he ran, he looked for anything to help him. His savior came in the form of a cylindrical railing post. It was short but it was big enough for him to work with.

With all of his might, Orvus ran over to the fence post and used it as a springboard, leaping off of it and just barely managing to land and grab onto the Aphelion's wing. _"Wait!"_

Clank jumped as he stood up in his seat,"Father?!"

Ratchet was dumbfounded at what exactly he was witnessing. "Orvus, what are you doing?!"

Orvus was borderline hyperventilating as his impulsive running and jumping took everything he had out of him. He placed his shake hands onto the wing as he looked up at the duo. "I...I want to go with you!"

"You do?" Clank asked, his eyes lighting up.

Ratchet, while pleasantly surprised, had some concerns."But what about the Clock? What about Sigmund?"

The Zoni shook his head, "Sigmund is the one who convinced me to do this. The Clock has waited for me for five years. If it can wait that long, then it can wait a bit longer."

Clank looked at Ratchet, who looked back at him and at Orvus. It didn't take him long before smiling and opening the cockpit. "Clank, send a message to Talwyn. Tell her that we're bringing a friend."

"With pleasure," the robot said, moving aside as Orvus eagerly climbed into his seat and put him in his lap.

The trio took off in the direction of Igliak, leaving the Great Clock and a proud Sigmund behind.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Yeah sure Chapter 7 and all _but Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart tho._**

**There's inter-dimensional travel, so hopefully we'll see Orvus! Oh, and the new Lombax girl is pretty cool, too.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	8. From Bad to Worse

**Polaris Galaxy - Praxis Sector**

Orvus sat back in his seat, his grip on Clank tightening ever so slightly. During the trip to the Praxis Sector, Ratchet had explained the situation to him as well as the details as to why they had been summoned by the Polaris Defense Force. "So that is what's happening. Six missing people...that is most troubling, indeed."

"With how Talwyn was talking about it, I doubt that the number is still at six." Ratchet said, not even trying to estimate how many people were missing at that point. He looked at their position as well as the time. "It looks like we'll be on time for the briefing. Maybe even a bit early."

"It is always good to keep track of time," Clank said, taking great joy in his father chuckling at that little reference.

"So...you know, I gotta ask, what exactly happened that caused you to jump on a moving spaceship in desperation?" Ratchet asked Orvus. He remembered how badly he was startled when Orvus had jumped onto the wing while the ship was in the air.

"I told you before. I wanted to come with you," Orvus stated matter-of-factly.

"I know, but...why? You were so desperate to get back to your caretaker position. I didn't think you would suddenly change your mind like that."

Clank nodded, looking up at his father. "I must agree with Ratchet's curiosity. It was a very surprising change of heart on your part, father. You were very determined to go back to the Clock and it took much convincing to keep you away for just one more day. What changed?"

"To be completely honest, I surprised myself. I do not think I have been that desperate since the space-time continuum tore." The Zoni looked at all of their reflections in the cockpit's glass, seeing them all sit together. "I suppose my mind was trying to tell me that I wasn't done spending time with you two. I will admit, it is very irresponsible of me to put my wants over my duties, but I am willing to make this exception because, even though it has only been a short time, I really do enjoy being with you."

"Aww, did you hear that, Clank? Orvus likes us," Ratchet teased.

"Of course I like Clank."

"Heh... _wait-"_ The Lombax narrowed his eyes and looked at Orvus, who had a big guilty smile on his face. "Okay, funny guy. Anyway, did you send that message to Talwyn, Clank?"

"Yes, but I have not heard a response. I do hope she saw it," Clank replied.

Orvus decided to ask something he had been wondering about since he had heard it back at the Great Clock. "I have been meaning to ask: who is this 'Talwyn', exactly?"

"She's a friend of ours. And someone who is...very important to me," Ratchet answered, his voice getting softer at the end.

"Hm?" Orvus tilted his head a bit, not quite understanding. Clank tapped on his arm to get his attention. The robot held up one hand, then pointed at Ratchet with the other. Then he brought the two hands together. It took Orvus a moment to process it before coming to a realization. "Oh. _Ohhhhh."_

"What?" Ratchet side glanced at the two. He didn't like the look on either of their faces. _"What?"_

Orvus chuckled, "I did not know that you were in a relationship, Ratchet. That is so precious!"

Ratchet gave Orvus his own look, but it was one of unamusement, "It's not like-I haven't even...look, I'm not going to take this from the guy who _snorted_ when someone squeezed him."

The Zoni huffed at that remark. He decided to fire back. "And I am not going to take that from the person who likes having _his head stroked."_

"Hmph. Says the one with _sensitive antennae."_

"This coming from someone who _purrs_ when he's around his relationship partner."

"Says the two grown-ups who are _bickering like children,"_ Clank interrupted, even though he knew that the two were just messing with one another.

The two looked down at the robot and then at each other. Orvus declared it, "He wins."

Ratchet nodded. "Yup. Clank wins."

"Good job, son."

"Why, thank you."

The three sat in silence for a moment, but all it took was a small chuckle from Ratchet for all three to burst into laughter. Ratchet and Orvus would go back and forth between each other, but it was all in good fun. To be honest, Ratchet didn't think Orvus would have a sense of humor like that. He supposed that Orvus' humor went beyond puns. At least Clank liked the puns.

Orvus smoothed his antennae down as he started to settle, "Should we start getting more serious since we are going to attend a briefing about missing people?"

Ratchet shrugged, "Probably."

"...Are we actually going to get serious?"

"I doubt it."

"We will when the briefing starts," Clank said.

Aphelion's voice cut through the conversation, _"Now approaching Planet Igliak."_

Orvus raised his head a bit to get a good look at their destination. Planet Igliak itself was the same as ever. Swirls of white, blue, and gray with many lights of large cities dotted throughout. It was just like the model planet in the Great Clock. But hovering over it was a large starship with the Polaris Defense Force logo on it. Orvus' eyes widened as he admired the craftsmanship and advancements of the ship. "What an outstanding starship. The Nebulox Eight, correct?"

Ratchet nodded, piloting Aphelion towards the starship. "Yeah, it's the new and improved model. We've been in it a lot of times. Talwyn always makes sure it's ready for us in case we're needed."

"That is wonderful! It will be a pleasure to meet her."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll like you." The Lombax paused for a moment before glaring at Orvus. "Don't you dare ask her any questions about our relationship."

"I had no intention to, as it is none of my business. _However…"_

_"Orvus."_

"Oh, do not fret, I am kidding!" Orvus gave Ratchet the same look from earlier. "Unless there is something you do want her to tell me about you…?"

At that point, Ratchet had about had it with that look on Orvus' face, so he took the top of Orvus' hood and pulled it over the Zoni's face. "Looks like the hood is good for something after all."

"You two seem to bicker a lot," Clank noted.

Orvus shrugged, readjusting his hood, "Perhaps. But I mainly do it because I care."

Ratchet heard the sincerity in Orvus' voice. He felt that same joy he had felt back on Veldin. He hesitated before giving a small smile and agreeing. "Yeah, me too."

After a moment of silence, the Zoni muttered just loud enough, "...That and because he usually starts it."

"Okay, _okay,_ listen here you... _squishy Zoni thing-"_

"I'm a _what?"_

If Clank had pupils he would be rolling his eyes. Thankfully the two stopped bickering by the time Aphelion entered the landing bay of the Nebulox Eight. Ratchet was already sitting up in his seat and searching the area. His ears twitched as he saw a certain someone walking into the bay: Talwyn. However, there was a slight frown on his face when he saw how tired she looked. Even if she was putting on a strong face, he could see how stressed she was.

The moment Aphelion landed, Ratchet opened the cockpit and hopped out, landing on the floor and taking a step towards Talwyn. "Hey, Tal."

"Ratchet! Clank! Thanks for coming, you guys." Talwyn said, taking Ratchet's hands into hers as a greeting. But she removed them as she saw Orvus carefully climbing out of the ship, dropping off the wing and then carefully setting Clank down onto the floor. The Zoni looked up at her and tilted his head slightly. Talwyn gestured to him. "I got your message earlier. I assume this is the friend you said you were bringing?"

Ratchet rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. Sorry for the short notice about that, by the way. It was a really quick decision."

"Well, any friend of yours is a friend of mine." She approached Orvus and offered her hand, giving a professional greeting. She was still running in business mode. "Talwyn Apogee, captain of the Polaris Defense Force. Nice to meet you."

Orvus gave a friendly smile as he shook Talwyn's hand. "And it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, as well. I am Orvus. I am Clank's father."

"W-Wait...but….are you really…?" The Markazian withdrew her hand and looked at Orvus with shock and confusion. "How is that possible?"

The Zoni sighed and rubbed the side of his head. "Yes, yes, I have done quite a number of explanations since I've returned. I suppose I should run through it again…"

"You can bring me up to speed later. The briefing is about to start. Ratchet, Clank, let's go to the conference room. I'll have someone escort Orvus to your room."

Clank frowned as Talwyn had already started walking away. The robot looked at Orvus' face, which had given a flash of sadness at being denied entry to the briefing. He quickly caught up with her, "Begging your pardon, Miss Apogee, but I believe that Orvus should attend the briefing as well."

"You know that we don't allow civilians to attend conferences with confidential Defense Force information," Talwyn said, stopping and looking down at him.

"That is true, but Orvus is not simply a civilian. He has one of the brightest minds in the universe. I believe that he could be of great use to this case."

Ratchet stepped in, taking Clank's side of the argument. "Clank's right, Tal. I _really_ think you should consider it."

Talwyn noticed the insisting tone in Ratchet's voice. She shot him a questionable look and watched as his eyes shifted between looking at Clank and Orvus, and eventually back to her. It was then that she realized just why he was insisting. And while Ratchet's intentions were thoughtful, she did take interest in someone with the brightest mind in the universe. With how severe the case had gotten, they honestly needed all the help they could get. She would consider it a special Zoni exception. But she did appreciate Ratchet doing what he did for Clank. "Alright, I'll allow it. Now let's hurry."

Ratchet smiled as Clank perked up and quickly gestured Orvus, who had similarly perked up, to follow them. The robot happily walked aside his father as Talwyn walked them to the conference room.

In the conference room, there were several Defense Force sergeants waiting, even though they were all the same model of robot designed to be sergeants. The group of four were the only unique people in the room. Ratchet, Clank and Orvus walked alongside the long table and took their seats, Clank having to stand in his due to his size. Orvus could feel himself getting slightly giddy. He had never been to a briefing before. It was a strange feeling for him, not being the one in charge, but instead the one being given orders. It was a nice change of pace, now that he thought about it. But he had to restrain his excitement, as this was serious business. But he couldn't help but feel a little happy when he saw how happy Clank looked. The fact that Clank wanted him to come to the briefing so badly warmed his heart.

There was some brief chitchat here and there, but Talwyn interrupted it as she stood at the head of the table in front of a large screen.

"If I could have everyone's attention." All eyes were now on the captain. She grabbed a remote and began pressing it, information of the case appearing on the large screen behind her. "Thank you all for coming. I'm your captain, Talwyn Apogee, and I'll be taking you through this briefing. As you all know, we've been dealing with a serious crisis for several weeks now. One by one, people of different races have been going missing. With our most recent disappearance being Grubb Diggery, the Kerchu on Jasindu who was responsible for guarding a Lombax device."

"Lombax device?" Orvus muttered to Ratchet.

"The Dimensionator," Ratchet replied, which honestly gave Orvus more questions than answers, but he held them back.

"The other disappearances are as followed: the leader of Thugs-4-Less, the Vullard who runs the Hollows on Torren IV, two Terraklon commanders, and a Fongoid chief from Zanifar. While this situation is bad enough, it has just gotten much worse," Talwyn continued. She grabbed several files from a nearby cart and passed them along, everyone getting a copy to look at. Ratchet, Clank and Orvus opened theirs and all went wide-eyed as they read the new information. Talwyn went on. "As of this morning, dozens of more people went missing, all originating from the same species as the people who went missing."

"Geez...no wonder you called us in. This is just crazy," Ratchet commented.

"Indeed. It seems like whoever is causing these people to go missing not only seems to be targeting higher-ups in these races, but the races themselves," Clank said, deciding to speak up.

"It does look that way, but why are they being targeted?" Orvus questioned.

"We think it's possible that there's some sort of connection between these races that makes them a target. At first, we just thought it was because of status, but now that several members of each species are starting to disappear, we're having trouble making a connection."

Ratchet recalled all the times he had fought or talked with members of each of the species, "Clank and I have come into contact with all of these species before, even specifically some of the people. Do you think it might have something to do with that."

"It's always a possibility. You have made some enemies after all."

"But why would they go after those people instead of simply coming after us?" Clank asked, seeing flaws in Ratchet's theory.

Ratchet nodded and put a hand on his chin. "Mm, that's a good point…anyone else have any ideas?"

There was a small uproar of noise as theories were thrown around left and right, all of them being rejected or questioned. No one could seem to come to a conclusion. Orvus, however, wasn't listening to anyone in the room anymore, he was now lost in his own thoughts. He studied the case file closely. His eyes narrowed sadly as he read about the kidnapped Fongoid chief. Deep down he was terrified that the Fongoids were being taken because of their knowledge of the Zoni. As if Orvus needed a harder time forgiving himself for coming in contact with that race. But he honestly couldn't think of another reason why. The Fongoids were a very peaceful race that everyone in the Polaris Galaxy tended to ignore. After all, they were quite the outcasts, what with managing to live without any technology...hm. That reminder got Orvus' attention.

Orvus took note of each race that had gone missing. Thug, Vullard, Terraklon, and Fongoid. He remembered the research he did about each species, both in the past and recent years. Each race had their own significant quirk to them. A quick that someone could take extreme interest in. The elder Zoni's eyes went wide as his theory came together.

"If I may interject," Orvus called out, everyone quieting down and looking at him. "I've recalled the history and accomplishments of each one of the missing people's species. I think I might have found some sort of pattern."

Talwyn looked at Ratchet and Clank, who were very curious. She nodded, "You have the floor, Orvus."

"If you look at all the species, you'll notice that all of them are famous for something either impressive or intimidating. The Kerchu, Thugs, and Terraklons are all known for being brutal and hostile while the Fongoids and Vullards are known as two of the most resourceful species in the universe. In other words, all of these species are very useful in some way, shape, or form."

"You think whoever is doing this wants the species that would prove to be the most useful?" Ratchet asked, looking over the file.

Clank could very clearly see the logic in his father's theory, as he made the connections as well, "It sounds plausible."

Orvus looked at Talwyn. "Do we know the current whereabouts of other famous species? Like the Terachnoids or Agorians?"

"Yes, actually. We've been keeping tabs on their important members ever since we recognized the pattern of important people disappearing." Talwyn pulled up info on both of the people in question. "They're both currently out of the Polaris Galaxy. The Agorian ambassador, Ryker, is doing a universe-wide tour of battle stations and Pollyx is studying Telepathopi in the Solana Galaxy. But they're both due to come back in two days."

"The disappearances have only been happening here in the Polaris Galaxy. If an ambassador from the brutal Agorian race and one of the smartest minds of the Terachnoid race came back, they could become targets," Clank said with concern.

"So when they get back, we need to get to them before whoever is causing this gets there first," Ratchet said, getting approving nods from the robot sergeants.

Talwyn looked up more of her case file notes, "The Bogon and Solana Defense Force are already keeping an eye on them, but we can take them into our own hands once they come back to Polaris. We can approach them and bring them here, not only to protect them but to see if they have any knowledge as to what else could be luring in this kidnapper."

Orvus hummed in thought for a moment, "How should we go about approaching them?"

"Come over to the map table." Everyone got out of their seats and circled around a smaller table. Talwyn activated it and holograms of the Polaris Galaxy and its planets appeared. Clank jumped up and down to see the map, but his size was getting the better of him. Orvus noticed this and picked the robot up and let him sit on his shoulders so he could see. Ratchet chuckled at the sight and even Talwyn let out a breathy laugh before continuing. Terachnos and the Agorian Battleplex lit up. A trail then went from the two places back to the Nebula Eight model. "Pollyx will be coming back to Terachnos to continue running Pollyx Industries and the Agorian ambassador will return to the Agorian Battleplex for an arena inspection. We'll split up and go on official diplomatic missions to retrieve our respective person."

"Who's going to get who?" Ratchet asked.

"I'll get Pollyx. Ratchet, Clank…" The Markazian looked up at Orvus, then up at Clank's hopeful face, "...and Orvus, you three will go to the Battleplex to get Ryker. Got it?"

"Got it."

"I will do my best."

"We shall endeavor to bring the ambassador to safety."

"Good to hear. I'll run these plans by the galactic president and get the clearance. Hopefully, we can get a new lead from this and stop whoever or whatever is causing these disappearances once and for all. All soldiers will remain on standby throughout this whole operation." The map disappeared and Talwyn took a step back, looking professional once again. "Please wait for further instructions. And remember, remain on guard. You are dismissed."

The robot sergeants marched out of the room to return to their posts and their soldiers to relay their captain's message. Ratchet, Clank, and Orvus, however, remained in the room. Clank seemed absolutely ecstatic that Orvus was given clearance to go with them. He waved his feet a bit as he clung to his father's head.

"Your first mission! And it is diplomatic! This will be quite exciting!" He said excitedly.

Orvus chuckled and patted his son's leg. "Now now, save that energy for the actual mission."

Ratchet walked over to them, thinking of the plan. "I don't think we've gone on a diplomatic mission before. Usually, it's shoot first, ask questions later. Especially at the Battleplex. This is definitely going to be interesting. But we'll still have to be careful."

Orvus nodded, "Of course."

"We should always keep our safety in mind, even on peaceful missions," Clank stated.

"That's right. That is a very good mindset to have, son."

"I do try my best."

As Orvus and Clank chatted, Ratched turned around and looked at Talwyn, who was collecting the case files and putting them back on the cart. He approached her and smiled. "Good briefing, Tal. Even under all this stress, you manage to stay on top of everything." His eyes went a bit wide and how his smile was a bit nervous. "Not that I didn't think that you could."

"Thanks, Ratchet. You three being here will hopefully let things go a lot more smoothly."

"Yeah. Thanks for including Orvus, by the way. I know it meant a lot to Clank," Ratchet said, looking at Clank, who was still sitting on Orvus' shoulders. He looked back at Talwyn, shuffling his feet a bit. "So, um...what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I have to send the mission file to the president for official clearance…" The Markazian replied, still in business mode. However, when she looked at Ratchet, her business mood melted away. Ratchet could feel himself heating up as she offered him a soft smile as she took a small step closer. "But...I'm also overdue for my lunch break. I'll be going down to the planet's surface. And, if you want to, I could use some company."

"R-Really?" The Lombax cleared his throat as his voice cracked and composed himself. "I mean, yeah, sure, I've got time. Besides, I need to fill you in on some, uh…" he eyed Orvus, " _things._ "

"Yeah, I do have some questions…" She took Ratchet's hand. "Come on, you can explain everything as we go. Hey, you two, we'll be back!"

Orvus and Clank looked at them. Clank peeked over Orvus' head, "Where are you off to?"

"Ratchet and I are going to lunch. Your quarters should be ready shortly. Clank knows the place so he'll be able to show you around, Orvus."

"You two are going to lunch together?" Orvus said, tilting his head, which made Clank cling to him more. He noticed the two holding hands and he smiled fondly at the precious sight.

Ratchet, however, did not like the look one bit. He growled, but he wasn't actually being hostile, _"Don't."_

"Don't what? I haven't the _faintest_ clue what you are talking about. Can you make heads or tails of what he is implying, son?" The elder Zoni said, trying to look completely clueless.

Clank went along with it, "Hmm, I cannot seem to decipher it, no."

The two joined in shared laughter, which has the effect of an echo as their laughs were identical. Ratchet huffed, but he was at least happy that the two were bonding. Talwyn playfully rolled her eyes and moved Ratchet along. "Alright, let's leave these two jokers to it. The sooner I get this file sent, the better."

Ratchet shot his friends an 'I'll get you for this' look before exiting the conference room with Talwyn, leaving Orvus and Clank to chuckle amongst themselves.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**We stan a funny and fatherly Orvus.**

**I know this chapter took awhile, but there was a lot of hype behind the Rift Apart reveal trailer and I was kinda busy with that for awhile. That and I've been drawing a lot more, most of which you can see on my Tumblr.**

**Also this chapter was actually going to be longer, but I cut out an ending part because it made the chapter too long. So the original ending to this chapter is going to become the beginning of next chapter. Soeaking of which, next chapter is going to be very fun. I'm very excited for it.**

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


End file.
